Carsten Burkhardt's Web Project Paeonia - The Peony Library
PEONIES
The Manual of the American Peony Society
EDITED BY JAMES BOYD
Copyright 1928 by American Peony Society
COLOR-CLASSIFICATION OF TREE PEONIES WITH NOTES
By John C. Wister
ACCURATE description of tree peonies is so difficult that it seems best to classify them according to color groups. While no two persons may agree on the accuracy of a color-chart, it is, nevertheless, a great help in actual garden work, and it is submitted with the full realization of its many shortcomings, in the hope that its publication may lead to corrections and additions.
The colors are roughly arranged according to the Ridgway Color-Chart, beginning with white, running through the palest pinks up to pink, into rose-red and true red, and then through those colors containing purple to the darkest colors, and finally fading into the very palest lilac-white. In this way practically all known varieties can correctly be grouped into a few colors.
The classification into single, semi-double, and double also leaves much to be desired, and future work on the tree peony will probably revise it. It is well known that many varieties which are single when first planted eventually become semi-double or double after they are established, so that it is difficult to draw a strict line of demarcation between the types. In general, the single and semi-double types represent the Japanese varieties, and the doubles represent Chinese or European varieties.
The x's after the names indicate roughly my own opinion as to the value of the variety. Those having but one or two x's are desirable but not as outstanding as those having four or five x's. Those marked o are superseded varieties. I. white
Japanese Single and Semi-double Type. Beatrix, xxxx. Pure; midseason. Seiriu. xxxxx. Big; stamens pure. Gabisan. xxxx.
Haku-gan (Mousseline). xxxx. Late; pure. Kinipaiseten. xxxx. Early; pistil base white. Yaso-Okina (Queen Alexandra), xxxx. Late. Hana-den. xxx. Late; many rows of petals. Haku-raka-ten. xxx. Pistil base white. Kigyoku. xxx. Suisho-haku. xxx. Pistil base pink.
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Suishoku. xxx.
Haku-banriu. xx. Pistil base white.
Marie Stuart, xx. Heavy purple marks at base.
Shiro-Kagura. xx.
Adelina Patti. x. Small purple marks at base.
Flora, x. Late; almost identical with Adelina Patti.
Fuji-no-mine, x. Small; narrow purple mark at base;
pistil base white. Fuji-oe-ryo. x. Haku-Shuden. x.
European Double Type. Globosa. x. Holds head fairly well.
II A. palest blush-pink, very light shrimp-pink, ridgway
Japanese Single and Semi-double Type. Dokusbin-den. xxxxx. Kintajio. xxxxx. White pistil base. Saigya-Zakura (Femina). xxxxx. Mme. Pierre Dessert, xxxx. Very early; good grower. Shishinden (Eden), xxxx. Late. Tama-Usagi. xxx (or Class i).
Hade Sugata. Blotches at base like Mme. Pierre Dessert. Satellite.
Tama-fuyo. Early. Yomo-zackura.
European Double Type. Bijou de Chusan. xxxxx. Carolina d'ltalie. xxxx. Comte de Rambuteau. x. Shade darker than Carolina
d'ltalie.
II B. rose-pink
Japanese Single and Semi-double Type.
Nishiki-shima (Psyche), xxxxx. Late.
Akashi-gata. xxx. Early.
Beni-Kagu (Tsarine). xxx. Late.
Shin-akeoono. xxx. Like Marquis de Clapiers; deeper
center.
Ginko-Saki (Rosette), xx. Late. Iro-no-seki. xx. Aurora, x. Early. Calypso, x. Favorite. Gosho-Zakura. Yuki-doro.
plate XXXVII. Adolphe Rousseau
plate XXXVIII. The Bride
COLOR CLASSIFICATION OF TREE PEONIES
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European Double Type. Comtesse de Tuder. xxxx. Jeanne d'Arc. xxx. Late; color of Psyche. Georges Sand. xx. Early. Marquis de Clapiers, xx. Purity, xx.
Mme. Victor Gillier. xx. Holds head up. Mme. Henriette Caillot. x. Early. Josephine Seneclauze. o. Ne Plus Ultra, o. Odorata Maria, o.
III. rose-red
Japanese Single and Semi-double Type.
Adzuma-Kagami (Etoile Rose), xxxxx. Aya-Nishiki (Moliere). xxxxx. Dai-Kagura (Nuage Rose), xxxx. Gipku-Senshiu (Mignon). xxxx. Mikasa-Yama. xxxx. Late. Beni-Kamada. (Double.) xxx. Beni-Tsukasa, Gioku-Senshiu type. Bumeikai. Hana-guruma.
Hana-no-nishiki. Close to Class VII. Kin-Fukurin. Close to Class IV. Yachyo-jishi. Close to Adzuma-Kagami.
European Double Type.
(Effect more cherry color than singles although the same Ridgway color.) Reine Elizabeth, xxxxx. Mme. Stuart Low. x. Shy. Reine des Violettes. Late. Regina Belgica. o. Rose Cherie. o.
IV. scarlet-red. (Color close to P. officinalis Sabini.)
Japanese Single and Semi-double Type.
Kumona-Nishiki (Eclair), xxxxx. (Begonia-rose to rose, Ridgway.)
Hinode-Dsuru (L'Aiglon). xxxxx. Close to Kumona-Nishiki, but not exact.
Riu-shiko. xxxxx. (Spectrum-red, Ridgway.)
Tsuzure-nishiki. xxxxx. Close to Hinode-Dsuru and between Riu-Shiko and Akashi-Nishiki.
Akashi-nishiki (Talma), xxxx. (More violet, more rose-red.)
Kiku-botan. Darker than Hinode-Dsuru.
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Asahi-Minato. xxxx.
Hiryo. xxxx. Entirely distinct; a real red, darker than Kumona-Nishiki and without cherry color. Lighter than Marceau and without its crimson-purple.
European Double Type. Robert Fortune, o. Samarang. Probably here opens semi-double; has black
marks. Kokirin. xx. Iwato-Kagura. Kin-Fukurin. Nishiki-no-shitone.
V. carmine or crimson
"Japanese Single and Semi-double Type.
Kuro-botan (Negresse). xxxxx. Late; chocolate-crimson. Marceau. xxxx. Early; pansy-purple to crimson, but looks
more crimson than Negricans. Kasane-jishi. xxx. Almost as purple as Ruriban. Bokuryo. More maroon. Kushota. Michishiba. Sumi-no-ichi.
VI. purple
Japanese Single and Semi-double Type.
Ruriban. xxxxx.
Hana-daigin.
Benino-tsukasa.
Kokiriu-Nishiki (Tulipe). xxxx Striped; late.
Negricans. xxxx. Early; pansy-purple.
Adzuma-Sibori. Perhaps here.
Beaute de Tokio. xx. Early.
Moutan type. x. Early.
Bumeikai. Lighter but may belong here rather than in III.
European Double Type. Souv. de Ducher. xxxx. True magenta to Schoenfield's
purple.
Zenobia. xx, or in V. Victor Hugo. Lighter x or o.
VII. magenta
Japanese Single and Semi-double Type.
Auguste Dessert, x. Magenta-pink.
Eclaireur. x. Early; belongs with Triomphe de Vander-maelen, Ridgway.
COLOR CLASSIFICATION OF TREE PEONIES
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Hano-no-Tsukasa. Purple and white.
Kamada-Fuji.
Yomo-no-homare. Lighter at edge.
VIII A. lilac-rose selfs
Japanese Single and Semi-double Type.
Hana-no-nishiki. Tsukasa-jishi. xx. Beni-Kamada.
European Double Type. Beaute de Twickel sd. xx. Princess Louise, xx. Flower stands up well. Reine Am61ie. xx. Grand Due de Bade. o. Mme. de Montmarin. o. Pres. MacMahon.
VIIIB. lilac-rose. (Bicolors fading to edge. Rosalind purple No. 40 to Rosalind pink—Ridgway No. 71.) Japanese Single and Semi-double Type.
Arlesienne. x. Belongs here but looks very different from doubles.
European Double Type. Morris, xxx. Princesse Mathilde. xxx. Triomphe de Vandermaelen. xxxx. Duchesse de Morny. Jules Pirlot. Lilacina plenissima. Mme. Laffay (Comte de Flandre). Balzac, o. Col. d'Andeleau. o. Dr. Bowring. o. Rosa Mundi. o. Van Houttei. o.
IX A. pale rose-purple
Japanese Single and Semi-double Type. Tsukasa-jishi. xx. Muhensai.
European Double Type, Athlete, xxxx. More self than Chant£cler. Chant6cler. xxx. Beauty of Canton, xx. Late.
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MANUAL OF THE AMERICAN PEONY SOCIETY
August Ravel, x.
Reine des Fleurs. x. Late.
Mme. de Vatry.
Comata. o.
Souv. Mme. Knorr. o.
IX B. all bicolors fading to white at edge and fairly deep center
Japanese Single and Semi-double Type. Robinson, x. Close to Arlesienne. Nippon-ko.
European Double Type. La Ville de St. Denis, xxx. Souv. de la Couvellerie. xxx. Alba Lilacina. o. Archiduc Ludovic. o. Banksi. o. Comata.
Dumont de Courset. Hissiana (Blanche de Hiss), o. Madoni.
X. faintest li lac-white
Japanese Single and Semi-double Type. Shuchiuka (here or in class I).
European Double Type. Lambertinse. xxx. Blanche de Chateau Futu. o. dis. Kochs Weisse. o. Lactea.
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