37. P.peregrina Miller Gard. Dict. Ed. 8, no. 3 (1768) ; Smith in Rees, Cycl. no. 5 (1819) ; Fritsch in Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, 49, 240 (1899) ; Stapfin Bot. Mag. t. 8742 (1918) ; Garden, 82, 228, c. fig. (1918), 84, fig. P.351 (1920) ; F. C. Stem in Journ. Roy. Hart. Soc. 56, 72 (1931); F. C. Stern in ibid. 68, 129 (1943).Syn. P.decora Anderson in Trans. Linn. Soc. 12, 273 (1818) ; Boissier, Fl. Orient. 1, 98 (1867) ; Kanitz, PI. Roman. 6, 3 (1879-81) ; Baker in Gard. Chron., N. Ser. 22, lo (1884) ; Garden, 31, 513, c. ic. (1887), 72, 291 (1908) ; Huth in Engl. Bot. Jahrb. 14, 269 (1891) ; Velenovsky, Fl. Bulg. 16 (1891), Suppl. 1, n (1898) ; Gurke in Richter, PI. EuroP.2, 40 (1903) ; Adamovid in Engler & Drude, Veg. Erde, 11, 119, et al. t. 8 (1909) ; Ascherson & Graebner, Syn. Mitteleur. Fl. 5, ii, 553 (1923) ; Hayek, Prodr. Fl. Penins. Balcan. 1 (in Fedde, Rep.SP.Nov. Beih. 30, i), 298 (1924).P.lobata Desfontaines, Tahl. Ecole Bot. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, 126 (1804), nom. nud.; DC. Syst. 1, 391 (1817), quoad syn. et pi. byzant., nom. illeg.; DC. Prodr. 1, 66 (1824), quoad descr.; Sweet, Brit. Flow. Gard. 1, t. 70 (1824) ; Garden, 78, 344 (1914).P.multifida Salm-Dyck, Hort. Dyck, 369 (1834).P.officinalis L. sec. Baumgarten, Emm. StirP.Transsilv. 2, 91 (1816) ; ? Schlosser & Vukotinovic, F/. Croatica, 188 (1869) ; Kanitz, PI. Roman. 6, 173 (1879-81) ; Simonkai, Emm. Fl. Transsilv. 66 (1886) ; Halacsy, ConsP.Fl. Grace. 1, 35 (1901) ; Prodan, Fl. Romania, 1, 408 (1923) ; non L. emend. Willd.P.officinalis b lobata (Desf. ex. DC.) Lindley inBot. Reg. sub t. 819 (1824); Journ. Hort., Ser. 3, 15, 517, c. fig. (1887), 18. 464, c. fig., P.463 (1889) ; Garden, 79, 351, c. fig. (1915).P.romanica Brandza, Prodr. Fl. Romane, 38 (1879-83), et in Anal. Acad. Romans, Ser. 2, 2, 587, t. 2 (1881) ; Magyar, Nov. LaP.6, 85 (1882) ; Grecescu, ConsP.Fl. Roman, 43 (1898).

Description. Stem glabrous, 37 cm. to about 80 cm. high. Lower leaves biternate, but with some of the leaflets divided to the base so that there are in all 15 to 17 principal divisions, some of the divisions are deeply cut into 2 or 3 segments, with segments and divisions lobed and coarsely toothed at the apex ; divisions 5-12 cm. long, green and shining above, glaucous and from slightly villose to glabrous below. Flowers 7-11 cm. across. Petals strongly concave, obovate, rounded, 4-5-9 cm. long and 4 cm. broad, red. Stamens 2-2-5 cm. long, filaments red, anthers yellow. Carpels 2-3, densely tomentose. Follicles 2-3 cm. long and 1-2 cm. in diameter.

Distribution. Rumania, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia and coast of Asia Minor near Smyrna. rumania : Comana, Valea Gurbanului, Grecescu (K) ; Dobroudja, near Mihaileni, Tad Wisniewski 689 (K) ; Dobroudja, Badadagh, Sintenisys (K). bulgaria: Haskovo, Adamovic (K) ; N. of Dragoman Pass, 1000 metres, Turrill 668 (K.) ; Dragoman, Tad Wisniewski 1329 (K) ; Mt. Sini Kamil, near Sliven, Schneider 555 (K) ; near Twrdica, Tad Wisniewski 691 (K) ; Bakadzik, nearJambol, Tad Wisniewski 1327 (K); hills at Trancka, near Varna, Schneider 175 (K); hills north ofVama, Gilliat-Smith 546 (K), 649 (K) ; Karlik Dagh, c. 1300 metres, Twrill 1301 (K). albania : Mt. Cuika, above Muspina, Baldacci 55 (K) ; Muratovo, Adamovic (K). serbia : Mt. Belara, near Pirot, Adamovic (K) ; Gujilem, near Pirot, Adamovic (K) ; above Aleksinac, Panne (K) ; hills around Nisch, Petrovic (K). macedonia : Mts. near Lake Doiran, Durham (K) ; Struma plain and north slopes of Krusa Balkan, Harris 312 (K) ; Vebuna, Mt. Ruppell, 800 metres, Charrel (K). thrace : Atmadjali, N. valley of Tchalan Dagh, 150 metres, Tedd ys (K). anatolia : Renkoei, above Kuzkoei, Sintenis 334 (K); Olympus, Herb. Noe'anum (K) ; sine loc. Wiedemann (K); near Smyrna ? Whittall367{K),368(K).

Paeonia peregrina, a great red-flowered paeony, comes from the Balkans and belongs to the subsection dissectifouae but is easily distinguished from all other paeonies in that section by . the segments and divisions of the leaves which are lobed and coarsely toothed at the apex, and by its concave petals.

The name of P.peregrina has been restricted to the Balkan plant. Stapf gives a full history of the plant (1918), and mentions that Clusius in the sixteenth century first described this Balkan[end page 97] plant as Paeonia byzantina. Much confusion has arisen over the name P.peregrina and several species have been given this name by different botanists in the past. Why this plant is so often known in gardens an P.decora and P.lobata and how the confusion in th nomenclature has arisen is fully dealt with on page 127. It is often known among as P.”Fire King” ans also as P.”Sunbeam”. These are not hybrids but merely forms of the species. There are specimens of wild plants from Smyrna and Serbia in the herbarium at Kew which are identical with the garden plants known as “Sunbeam” and lobata. P.peregrina is a tetraploid.P.peregrina is perhaps the finest wild herbaceous paeony for the garden, and is of the easiest cultivation in any good loam. It is a wonderful sight to see this paeony by the evening light in flower in the half shade under trees. [end page 98]