PEONY (OF. plow.. pioine, Fr. piroinc. from ML. peonia. Lat. pronio, from Gk. ITalsa4a, paionio, peony, from 7rauLr, Poion, rouiv, Polon, the physician of the gods; so called because orig inally regarded as medicinal), Pceonia. A genus of plants of the natural order Ranunculacex, na tives of Southern Europe, Northern Africa, and Asia. The species are large herbaceous or rarely half shrubby perennials often with tuberous roots. The half-shrubby species are known as tree peonies. On account of the beauty of their large flowers. some of the species are extensively cultivated in gardens. and loamy varieties and hy brids have been originated. The common peony (Amnia offleinolis), a native of Southern Eu rope. is the most generally cultivated species. It produces in early summer large solitary blos soms. usually red or crimson. but varying to white. The white peony (Ptronio albiflora), an other favorite species, with beautiful white or pink and fragrant flowers, is a native of Siberia, where its roots are used by the Mongolian Ta tars as a food. These two species are the parents of many cultivated forms. The Chinese peonies. a large group including ninny hardy double flowered and fragrant varieties, are hybrids ob tained by intererossing various species. The term Chinese peony, however, is often applied to several different speeies.. The less common tree peonies are derived mainly from Pcconia Mouton and Pa•onia mitten, which latter is a comparatively recent introduction from China and is as yet not so well known as the other species. It begins
to blossom in late spring and produces its yel low flowers for about a month. Amnia Mouton, the commonest of the tree peonies and much larger than the foregoing, attaining a height of 3 or 4 feet, is a native of California and Japan. It blossoms in spring and produces very large and handsome flowers representing a wide range of shade and colors. It is often grown as a greenhouse plant for early spring blossoms. The tree peonies prefer a good. strong sandy loam. They require a rich soil and applications of well rotted cow manure are very advantageous to the growing plants. They are rather tender. and in many localities require protection. The plants are propagated from cuttings at the base, usually made with a piece of the ripened stem, potted in sandy soil and placed in a cold frame or the greenhouse. They are also grafted in early fall on the roots of Thronia &Worn and Thronio offi einolis. The shoots for grafting are without a flower bud and the grafts are potted in sand and kept in cold frames. The herbaceous peonies are commonly increased by divisions of the shoots in fall or spring. New varieties are grown from seed.