01675
Paeonia 'Oriental Gold'

type: [intersectional hybrid]

Not identical with the herbaceaous variety registered under this name by Smirnow


(Itoh-hybrid from Japan) Mr. Smirnow brought the Ito hybrids to the U.S.A and published five varietal names for them. Oriental Gold was one of these varieties and is now grown in Japan. Large size. Midseason. Tall.

Beitrag von marcir am 15.5.2007:

Tag der Pflanzung/date of planting: 21.Dez. 2000 bezogen von:/ purchased by: Wolfgang Giessler, Gross Rosenburg
History of my plant: Mr. Giessler purchased the plant from W.Linnemann, who bought it in 1999 from a japanese nursery under the name 'Oriental Gold'. Mr. Linnemann treats it as an Intersectional hybrid, he thinks, that it is a japan-made hybrid. The appearance of my plant differs substantially from what Smirnow described at the registration of the plant with the same name. The stems are woody at the base, and there is nothing in yellow colors on it. Maybe in spring this can change.
I wrote a message to the eMail-Forum peony@egroups.com on Dec. 30, 2000:
A few days ago I was given a nice large plant of Oriental Gold . I took it in the hope of bringing some light into the mysterious Far Eastern Yellow peonies, but this plant looks more than an Intersectional hybrid, there is nothing yellow on it. Does anyone know more on this?? Carsten
These were my answers:
Hi Carsten, You didn't say if you have an actively growing plant which seems unlikely or a dormant crown. If the plant is truly 'Oriental Gold' it will have a bright yellow cambial layer just below the bark of the crown and roots. Jim Langhammer
Dear Carsten, Bill Seidl wrote an article "Fifty Years of Intersectional Breeding" in the December 1999 APS Bulletin. In this article (pg. 29) he tells that the Japanese Tree Peony Society book has a picture of an intersectional hybrid labelled as ORIENTAL GOLD. He believes that this is really YELLOW EMPEROR because of the relatively small amount of red in the centre. The article further states that the JPTS book credits Itoh with 5 hybrids, one of them being ORIENTAL GOLD. Seidl mentions that Smirnow was aware of the incorrect use of the name "ORIENTAL GOLD" in Japan and expressed his displeasure in Bulletin #225 (1978). Apparently two Japanese nurserymen had grouped the Itoh hybrids together and were offering them as ORIENTAL GOLD at high prices. In the article Seidl also points out that the checklist (Originations, pg. 117) lists OG as having been imported in 1960 which is of course a typographical error since on page 75 of the same checklist we see that the name was registered in 1954. An article in Bulletin 134, presumably written by the then editor George Peyton since Smirnow is referred to in the third person, Smirnow had originally imported ORIENTAL GOLD roots prior to 1954. These all died and a second importation turned out to be untrue. The roots from the third attempt were the first to flower, in the spring of 1954. Reiner
Dear Reiner, It seems, you are a living lexicon! Thank you very much for the quick response. I'd like to use your posting on paeon.de, if you permit. Best wishes Carsten
Carsten, Permission granted! Glad you found it of interest. Reiner
Carsten, The application of the name ORIENTAL GOLD to the Itoh hybrids may still occur in Japan. In the September 1985 Bulletin (#255) there is an article originating in Japan in which that name is used for the Itoh hybrids. They have given the name Yo Kihi (or Yokihi in Seidle's article) to what we know as the herbaceous ORIENTAL GOLD registered by Smirnow in 1954. If you look at www.peonygarden.com you will find an ORIENTAL GOLD "Itoh" listed there. This is perhaps more than you wanted to know. Reiner
Dear all, I viewed the pictures of the division of Oriental Gold from Carsten. Don Hollingsworth wrotes in his catalog that Akihi, Yokihi and Golden Wheel (Huang Jin Lun)all are synonims. I received a small division this year of Huang Jin Lun but the roots are quite different than the pictures from Carsten. The color of the roots of Huang Jin Lun are yellowish green. Oriental Gold is the podparent of Gilbertson's Goldilocks. Gilbertson wrotes that Goldilocks doesn't have yellow-green sprouts when emerging. Huang Jin Lun also has yellow-green sprouts. Are Oriental Gold and Huang Jin Lun the same? Dick
Dick, We discussed ORIENTAL GOLD/GOLDEN WHEEL early in 2000. You can check the archives for these two names. The consensus at that time was that they are the same plant. If we assume that ORIENTAL GOLD (ex Japan/Smirnow, 1954) is unique then all the names you list are synonyms. I am not aware of any suggestions that more than one variety exhibiting these characteristics exists. Reiner
Dear Dick, Jim, Reiner & Andrea, thanks for your interesting postings. I was aware of the problem and asked the man with the plant before ordering, if there is any yellow on it. For this reason my plant was free too. So, after all, we know, that there are plants in commerce under this name, which are surely not true to name. I have already informed Mr. L. about his plants, hoping he will be able to correct on it. And hoping the japanese nursery will correct the misnaming policy with time. I cannot imagine, that they don't know of the difference between Yokihi & their 'OG'. I will try to get a correct plant with time next year (or somebody with a blooming one in my near). I will write an article on this topic in the 'Staudengarten', if time permits until Jan.15. Hoping more people in Germany know about this. Carsten
Reading the exchange on Oriental Gold in today's digest, I believe Dick's Ben Gilbertson quote concerning new shoot appearance is not correct for this cultivar.. Our little plant of OG is from Ben Gilbertson stock. The shootsand mature stem color have no detectable red pigment--this is the most distinctive character of the Smirnow-named OG, in my view. I agree that Carsten's description and pictures strongly support that he has an Itoh Hybrid Group Oriental Gold, as pictured in the Japanese Tree Peony Society book. Ken Clare (Frankford Nursery, Canada) sent us a plant in 1999 of stock which I understand he obtained from Japan. In appearance it seemed to clearly to fit the Itoh Hybrid cultivar group. The duplication of names in commerce is unfortunate, but is probably not going to change. Best wishes to all for a happy and fruitful year 2001. Don
Postscript to my posting of a few minutes ago: Suppose the Itoh Hybrids Group 'Oriental Gold' is a distinct cultivar, meaning it is a legitimate cultivar name under the International Code of Nomenclature. It would not, then, be a synonymn for one of the previously named sorts. Since there is not another Oriental Gold in the Itoh Hybrids Group, the name then has precedence under the code. While the use of same cultivar name in two different groups tends to feel uncomfortable, it is not without precedent in the world of cultivated peonies. We currently have in commerce Lutea Hybrids Group 'Alice Harding' and Lactiflora Group 'Alice Harding'. Including the group name with the cultivar name may be felt clumsy, it does enable one to make clear which one is meant. Don
Dear Don. You are correct, I tried to write in my message that the podparent of Goldilocks; Oriental Gold has these light green sprouts, following Ben Gilbertson. This distinctive character also appears in Huang Jin Lun. So I asumed that Oriental Gold and Huang Jin Lun are the same. The pictures of Carsten looks totally different from the yelow- green roots of the Oriental Gold or Huang Jin Lun I planted. Sorry for the misunderstanding. Dick

Hello Everyone, In my opinion Oriental Gold is indeed an Itoh/Intersectional peony. This is based on my observation that I have only seen Oriental Gold with woody stems. No herbaceous peony that I know about exhibits this trait. In the spring new shoots grow out of the ground.Also buds like those observed on tree peonies form on woody stems (from previous years growth)and send out stems...just like tree peonies. Helmut

Dear Helmut, That's interesting, but you have to tell us the history of your 'Oriental Gold', how long have you had it and from where did you get it? The plants of 'Oriental Gold' to which I have access are entirely herbaceous and exhibit those characteristics described by Smirnow in his original description at the time he registered the name in 1954. There is however no question that an Intersectional hybrid known as 'Oriental Gold' had entered the literature by 1978. There is occasional mention made in the literature of another Japanese gardener, Yugen Higuchi, who was successful at duplicating Itoh's cross in 1962 but I don't know what happened to those seedlings. It is conceivable that the "Itoh" type 'Oriental Gold' is the progeny of that cross but that's only conjecture on my part. In my mind the true OG is the herbaceous one originally imported by Smirnow. This is the one that most people think of when OG is mentioned. There is an aura of mystique surrounding this plant that seems to draw people's attention. I'm certain it's the most discussed variety on this group, making an extended appearance at least once a year. Reiner

Dear all; According the 'Inter. Code for Names of Cultivated Plants' this is true, but especially cumbersome in peonies. For example- the rules essentially state that you cannot use the same cultivar name within the same designated class. So it depends on what the designated class really is. Officially the entire cultivar name consists of the genus 'species' ( or hybrid designation)and cultivar name such as Crocus vernus 'Albus' - the common white flowered cultivar of spring crocus. This cannot be written as Crocus 'Albus' since there are other 'Albus' Crocus such as Crocus sieberi 'Albus', Crocus laevigatus 'Albus', etc. so the designated class is the species. For Peonies, the name Paeonia 'Oriental Gold' is equally incorrect and one must write Paeonia "Itoh hybrid" 'Oriental Gold' or Paeonia "Herbaceous" 'Oriental Gold'. I really don't know the correct designated group names here, but for the peonies 'Alice Harding' it might be Paeonia suffruticosa 'Alice Harding' or Paeonia lactiflora 'Alice Harding'. (I suspect these names are also incorrect) Ideally a peony introducer would NEVER use the same cultivar name with the designated group "Paeonia". Another cure might be to call the Itoh Hybrid 'Oriental Gold' by its correct Japanese cultivar name of 'Yokohi'. Incidentally I think that the name 'Oriental Gold' has precedence (according to the 'Code") over both 'Golden Wheel' and 'Hung Jun Lin' although all represent the same plant. Recommendations:
1) Use the name 'Oriental Gold' for the original Smirnow introduced herbaceous cultivar.
2) Determine the correct name for a yellow Itoh hybrid which has been given the name of 'Oriental Gold' which may be inappropriate. Jim W.
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