Our figure represents a fine and at present very rare species of Pæony, not only ornamental in its flowers, but useful in its roots, which are eaten by the Mongolians in Tartary, at their meals, as vegetables. It flowered for the first time in this country in the month of July 1807 in the garden of Mr. J. Bell, near Brentford. [Illustration] PLATE DXV. CYNANCHUM MUCRONATUM. _Mucronate-leaved Cynanchum._ CLASS V. ORDER II. _PENTANDRIA DIGYNIA._ Five Chives. Two Pointals. ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER. CONTORTUM. Nectarium cylindricum, quinquedentatum. CONTORTED. Honey-cup cylindrical, five-toothed. SPECIFIC CHARACTER. CYNANCHUM caule scandente, piloso: foliis sub-cordatis, apice mucronatis: floribus axillaribus, in umbellis proliferis: corollis purpureis et virescentibus: oris laciniis acutis, tortis, reflexis. Habitat in Insula Trinidada. CYNANCHUM with a hairy climbing stem. Leaves nearly heart-shaped, with a mucronated end. Flowers axillary, in proliferous umbels. Blossoms purple and greenish. Segments of the border pointed, twisted, and bent back. Native of the Island of Trinidad. REFERENCE TO THE PLATE. 1. The empalement. 2. The blossom spread open. 3. The parts of fructification magnified. 4. The outer scale of the honey-cup. 5. The inner of the same. 6. The seed-bud, shaft, summit and chives, magnified. This handsome new species of Cynanchum was introduced by Lord Seaforth, who informs us that it is a native of the Island of Trinidad. It flowered with A. B. Lambert, esq. at Royston House, last June, for the first time in England, and is not as yet in any other collection. It is very free grower, running to a great length, with many umbels of flowers, which succeed each other during most part of the summer. [Illustration] PLATE DXVI. ASTRAGALUS VILLOSUS. _Hairy Astragalus._ CLASS XVII. ORDER IV. _DIADELPHIA DECANDRIA._ Two Brotherhoods. Ten Chives. ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER. LEGUMEN plerumque biloculare, gibbum. Semina biserialia. A POD mostly two-celled, bunched. Seeds in two rows. SPECIFIC CHARACTER. ASTRAGALUS caule humili villoso: foliis pinnatis: foliolis 20-30, oblongis, geminis, villosis: petiolis longissimis, villosis: floribus aggregatis viride flavis: leguminibus oblongis, lanatis. ASTRAGALUS with a low hairy stem. Leaves winged. Leaflets 20 to 30, oblong, in pairs, and villous. Footstalk of the leaves very long, and hairy. Flowers in bunches, of a greenish yellow. Pod oblong, and woolly. REFERENCE TO THE PLATE. 1. The empalement. 2. The standard. 3. One of the wings. 4. The keel. 5. The chives. 6. The same spread open. 7. Seed-bud and pointal. 8. The same shown from the under side.