The Caucasian Representatives of the Genus Paeonia L.

L.M. Kemularia-Nathadse, Trudy Tiflis. Botan. Sada 1961

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Chapter I The history of study of the Genus Paeonia L. species

Firstly the peonies had been mentioned in 270- 370 B.C. by the ancient Greek philosopher Theofrast, and a name for the plants had been given by him after the God Peon, patronizing medicine in accordance with the ancient Greek mythology, as it may be suggested. Some mentioning about peonies had been also made by the famous Rome scientist and writer Plyny the Elder in the first century A.D. and by Dioskorid, a greek from the Minor Asia, who served, as a physician, in the Rome army during governing by Nero and Claudius. Dioskorid could already distinguish between two peonies which were male and female and which have been described by Linné, as P. officinalis L. G. mascula, B. femina, afterwards.

Under various names peonies were written about in various officinal and medical books, being issued in different countries, at different periods, especially during the Middle Ages. but the scientific, description of the Genus Paeonia. L. had been presumable brought about in 1753. when Linné had suomitted his work "Species plantarum". Later, Linné described two species more, which were P. tenuifolia in 1759, in "Systema naturalis" and P. anomala in 1771, in "Matiss".

In 1768, Miller (Gard. Dict.) proclaimed the forms of P. officinalis L. femina and mascula, previously described by Linné, to be the independent species P. mascula Mill. and P. femina Mill. Besides, he described several species more, which were almost indistinguishable from P. officinalis L. All species described by Miller had red blossoms and came from the South Europe. In 1769, Gmellin ("Fl. Sib.") gave a description of three species, such as P. officinalis L., P. tenuifolia L. and P. lactiflora Pall.

In 1773, the academician Pallas (in Reise) described a peony with yellowish blossoms from the East Siberia, as P. lactiflora Pall. Afterwards, about 10 peonies species with .life yellowish, pink and red blossoms have been described by him. These species will be mentioned in our work below yet.

In 1783, Retzuis described the plant P. corallina Retz. from the South Europe ("Observ. Bot."). In 1800, 7 species, such as P. officinalis L., P. anomala L., P. hybrida Pall., P. tenuifolia L., P. albiflora Pall., P. lactiflora Pall. and P. corallina Retz. have been already depicted by Willdenow ("Sp. plant").

In 1804 the shrubby peony P. suffruticosa Andrews has been reported by Andrevs ("Bot, Rep."), and nearly at the same time Donn ("Cat, Hort, Cantabr,") presented data on an arborescent peony named P. arborea Donn, and in 1808 Sims ("Bot. Mag") gave a description of the shrubby peony P. Mountan Sims. All these peonies are from China and, according to the opinion of most botanists, represent the same species.

In 1817 - 1818, a first monograph dedicated to the Genus Paeonia L. and written by Anderson ("Trans. Linn. Soc.") has been issued in which the earlier described species were presented and three new species, such as P. arietina Anderson from the South-East Europe, P. mollis Anderson and P. paradoxa Anderson were described. The latter species was considered a synonym of the species P. humilis Retz. growing in Spain and the South France, from where its depiction has been obtained. As to the species P. mollis, it has been brought up in garden.

In 1824, De Candolle (Prodr. I) enumerated 16 species of the Genus Paeonia L. distributing them between two sections (a separate chapter dedicated to the sectional division is presented below).

In 1829, Douglas (ex Hooker Fl. Bor. Am.) gave a description of a new peony from the North America which was named P. brownii Douglas, and in 1838, Nuttal (ex Torrey et Gray. Fl. N. Amer.) submitted data on a new peony named P. californica Nutt. from California.

Botanists-taxonomists from different countries get more and more interested in Peonies, as it seems obvious.

Calculating the total number of the Genus Paeonia L. species and according to the newest monograph by Stern published in 1946, we can see that since 1753 till 1946, it has been described about 175 species, including synonyms too. We don't intend to enumerate all of them, and the above-mentioned monograph by Stern may be recommended, if a necessity to avail of more detailed information arises. However, we would like to give some account of a tribute made by Russjan and Soviet botanists-systematists in exploring representatives of the genus paying special attention to the peonies of Asia and the Caucasus.

The starting point of study of peonies by Russian and Soviet botanists may be assumed , to be the 1773 year when the academician Pallas gave a description of P. lactiflora Pall. found in the East Siberia, ("Reise"). Frm 1773 till 1795 over 10 species has been described by him, most of which are acknowledged nowadays. It should be mentioned that he was first in the world who has discovered the yellow-flowered peonies.

A systematic study of the Caucasian peonies has been presumably started in 1846, when the English botanists Lindley (In Journ. Rejist.) has published materials about the yellow - flowered peonies from Caucasus (Abchazia), sent to him by the director of the Crimean Garden Hartvis and which was named P. Wittmanniana Hartwiss.

In 1848, Steven described a peony which was named similarly with the previously described peony, that is P. Wittmanniana Stev., and which was from Caucasus (the Akhaltsiksky region) and, also having yellow flowers.

In 1859, Maximovich from the Amursky region submitted a depiction of a hew species with pink flowers named P. obovata Maxim.

In 1869, Ruprecht (Fl. Cauc.) described three peony species which were P. triternata Pall., P. Wittmanniana Stev. and P. hybrida Pall. Besides, he described a new species from the outskirts of Stavropol named P. Biebersteiniana Rupr. and a new form of a Caucasian peony named P. triternata Pall. forma coriifolia Rupr. from the outskirts of Borjom.

In 1859, N. Albov from Adjaria described a new peony with yellow flowers named P. corallina. var. Wittmanniana forma macrophylla N. Alb.

During 1895-1897, Lomakin was publishing materials about two new yellow-flowering peonies which were P. Mlokosewitschii Lomak. from Talish. Besides, the form discovered by Albov in Adjaria has been identified by him as an independent species, which was named P. macrophylla (N. Alb.) Lomak.

In 1899, Lipsky enumerated 6 peony species and one variety such as, P. corallina Retz., P. triternata Pall., P. Wittmanniana Stev., P. Wittmanniana var. tomentosa Lomak., P. Mlokosewitschii Lomak., P. macrophylla Lomak. and P. tenuifolia L.

During 1901-1903 N. A. Busch was presenting a critical review of Caucasian and Crimean peonies, and submitted data on four species, two sub-species, two varieties and one form, such as P. tenuifolia L., P. tenuifolia var. Biebersteiniana (Rupr.), P. corallina Retz. ssp. triternata (Pall.) Boiss., P. corallina var. corifolia (Rupr.) Busch, P. Wittmanniana Stev., P. Wittmanniana ssp. tomentosa Lomak., P. Wittmanniana Stev. forma macrophylla (Alb.) Busch and in 1919, he has identified P. Wittmanniana ssp. tomentosa Lomak., as an independent species named P. tomentosa (Lomak.) N. Busch("Ranales").

In 1920, in the magazine Mat. Herb. Petrop. Bot. Gard., Schipczinsky gave a description of the new peony P. bifurcata Schipcz. from China, and in 1921 he presented a review of the Genus Paeonia L. species, in which he distinguished the Caucasian red-flowered species with broad-lobed leaves from the South-European species P. corallina var. caucasica N. Schipcz. and in 1937, in "Fl. USSR", he identified it as an independent species named P. caucasica N. Schipcz.

In 1921, V. L. Komarov (in the mag. "Nat. Gerb. Petrop.. Bot. G.") gave a description of two new peonies P. Potanini Kom. and P. Beresowskii Kom., both of them from China.

In 1930, A. A. Grossheim presented in "Flora of the Caucasus" the species and varieties of peony as follows, P. tenuifolia L., P. tenuifolia v. Biebersteiniana (Rupr.) N. Busch, P. corallina Retz. var. caucasica Schipcz., P. mlokosewitschii Lomak., P. Wittmanniana Stev., P. Wittmanniana Stev. var. macrophylla (Alb.) N. Busch, P. tomentosa (Lomak.) N. Busch, P. abchasica Miscz.

In 1937, N. Ketskhoveli described a new peony named P. carthalinica Ketz. from Kartly (Georgia), for which a Latin diagnosis was given by him in 1959; besides, in 1959 a new species named P. Majko Ketz was described by him, also.

In 1937, in "Flora Abkhazii", A. Kolakovsky submitted data on two peonies - P. Wittmanniana Hartwiss and P. tomentosa Lomak., both of them having yellowish blossoms.

In 1937, in "Flora USSR", V. L. Komarov and N. V. Schipczinsky gave a description of 16 species, as follows: P. albiflora Pall., P. Mlokosewitschii Loniak., P, oreogeton S. Moore, P. obovata Makino, P. vernalis Mandl., P. japonica Miyabe et Takeda, P. triternata Pall., P. caucasica N. Schipcz., P. Wittmanniana Hartviss,P. macrophylla Lomak., P. tomentosa (Lomak.) N. Busch, P. abchasica Miscz., P. anomala L., P. hybrida Pall., P. tenuifolia L. and P. Biebersteiniana Rupr. The hybrid peony P. chamaeleon Troitzky was indicated by them also.

In 1948, in "Flora Gruzii", we presented data on P. caucasica Schipcz. including five varieties, as follows: P. Mlokosewitschii Lomak., P. Wittmanniana Hartw. with one variety var. macrophylla (Alb.) N. Busch., P. abchasica, P. carthalinica Ketz and a hybrid peony named P. chamaeleon Troitzky.

In 1949, in "Opred." and in 1950 in "Fl. Caucasus" (a posthumous edition), A. A. Grossheim has introduced drastic changes in the concept of Caucasian species of the Genus Paeonia L. For Caucasus he accepted the species, as follows: P. taurica Andrews, P. Kavachensis Aznav. with a variety coriifolia Rupr., P. Wittmanniana Hartwiss ex Lindley with two varieties - var. nudicarpa Schipcz.., and var. macrophylla (Alb.) N. Busch, P. Mlokosewitschii Lomak., P. tenuifolia L. and P. Biebersteiniana Rupr. and, also, the hybrid peony P. chamaeleon Troitzky.

In 1953, R. J. Rzazade presented in"Fl. Azerb." only two peonies, such as P. tenuifolia L. and P. Mlokosewitschii Lomakin the work presented here, two new sections, two new varieties and two new species are introduced by us and for one species a name is changed. Besides, a new system of the Genus and the schemes demonstrating taxonomic divisions of the Paeonia L. gene,ra and relations between its Caucasian representatives are submitted.