P..EONIA plants were formerly in great repute as a medicine ; and Dioscorides gives 16 names by which the drug was known.
PEeonia corallina, Ud-salap, HIND., is one of the Pmonia of Dioscorides. Its root occurs as irregular, flattened, woody masses, with a brown ish epidermis, and fibrous, with numerous fissures radiating from the centre. It is used by native physicians for weakness, palpitation, and asthma, and to fasten round the neck of children to pre vent asthma. Root believed to be antispasmodic and to stimulate the secretion of milk and menses. It is said to become more efficacious the longer it is kept.
Pmonia moutan, Mau-tan, CHIN., a native of China, is a shrub, of which several varieties, with beautiful whitish flowers stained with pink, are now in British gardens. The Pleonia papaveracea has a broad crimson stain at the base of each petal. It sprouts so early in the spring, that if exposed to the sun, it is very liable to be cut off by the late frosts of England. A very dwarf kind (apparently a distinct species) has finely-cut leaves, and flowers of a dark velvety purple, like the Tuscany rose. This the Chinese call the black moutan, and it is supposed to be the same which Lindley named Pmonia, atro-sanguinea. Another
kind, called tse, or purple, has double flowers of a large size ; this is probably the variety reported to have 1000 petals, and which is said to exist only in the garden of the emperor. The third, called Ian, or blue, is a lilac vanety, with flowers of the colour of Wistaria Sinensis. There are others of various shades of purple, perfectly distinct from those, and equally fine. The double whites are also numerous and handsome. The largest of these Dr. Lindley has named P. globose, but there are four or five others nearly as large and double. Some of them have a slight lilac tinge, which gives a richness to the colour. The most expen sive is one called wang, or yellow, by the Chinese; it is a, straw-coloured variety, rather pretty, but not so handsome as some of the others.
rubra.
Chih-cboh-yoh, . . CHIN. I Chuen-choh, . . CHIN.
. . . „ Its root is used in Chinese medicine as a carmi native.—Smith; Fortune's Wanderings, p. 321 ; Riddell; Eng. Cyc. ; Powell.