The Caucasian Representatives of the Genus Paeonia L.

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

Chapter IV

Systematic analysis of Caucasian species of the genus Paeonia L.

9. Paeonia triternata Pall.

Pallas in Nova Acta Acad. Petrop. X (1975) 312; DC. Prod. I (1824) 65; Ledeb. Fl. Ross. I (1842) 73; Rupr. Fl. Cauc. (1869) 44; Lipsky Fl. Cauc. (1899) 213; Somm. et Lev. Enum. (1900) 29; Komarov and Schipczin. in Fl. USSR. VII (1937) 28;

Syn. P. corallina var. triternata Boiss. I. (1867) 97; Akinf. Fl. Centre Cauc. (1894) 50; Schmalg. Fl. Sredn. Juzn. Ross. (1895) 32; P. corallina ssp. triternata N. Busch in Fl. cauc. crit. III. 3,(1901) 10, P. corallina var. Pallasi Huth. Monogr. in Englers Bot. Jarhb. 14 (1891) 267; P. corallina Retz. in M. B. Fl. taur-cauc. 2 (1808) 10; P. corallina Grossheim Fl. Cauc. II (1930) 91; P. daurica Andrews. Bot. rep. 7 (1807) 486; Anders. Mag. (1812) 1841. Stem, Monogr. Royal Horticult. Soc. (1946) 70; P. taurica Grossh. Opred. (1949) 44, Fl. Cauc. IV (1950) 12.

Perennials. The rhizomes are thickish, robust, with oblong-lengthened root thickenings, which are sessile usually or upon short pedicels, stems are 50-100 cm high, often tortuous, thin ; leaves are thrice ternate, naked, bluish-gray at both sides; leaf-lobes are small, rounded-ovate or nearly heart-shaped at their base, nearly leather-like; blossoms are broad-patent, with purple, oval or obovate petals; filaments are yellow; ovary is with pink tomentose pubescence; stigmas are pink. The fruits are with pinkish-brown pubescence, spreading; seeds are dark-blue, IV-V.

Habitat. In the montane oak and beech forests, upon open slopes.

Original area. The Crimea.

Type. The description has been made in the Crimea. Preserved in Leningrad.

Studied samples. Prichernom., Anapa, 13.VI.91!

Novorossiysk, 22.IV.1889 with flowers, 6. V. 1892 Lipsky!

50 miles south from Novorosiysk IV-1897 Akinfiev!

Krasnaya Polyana (the middle stream of the rivers Mzimti, Achipsou) Albov!

Geographic type. Crimean montane. General distribution. The Crimea, Caucasus.

Remarks. This plant has been firstly reported by the academician Pallasi in 1795, from the Crimea and named P. triternata Pall. But the latm diagnosis has been given by De Candolle in 1824, and for this reason some botanists prefer to use the name P. daurica Andrews for peony described in 1807 and found in the Crimea too (Stern 1946, Grossheim 1949, 1950).

We suppose that it would be correct to retain the name for this Crimean peony given earlier by Pallasi, and according to the opinion of De Candolle, Komarov and Schipczinsky, designate it P. triternata Pall. Not to say about that the name given later may mislead future botanists.

Considering a question of this species being propagated beyond the borders of the Crimea, and, consequently, of its presence in Caucasus, we have been looking through quite many herbarium samples of red-flowered Caucasian peonies and never met any typical representative of the P. triternata species, having such peculiar features as the pink or pinkish pubescence of ovaries and fruits, pink stigmas and small rounded or heart-shaped at its base leaf-lobes at both sides of gray-blue leaves with wax-like bloom upon them. Hence, it may be concluded, that the P. triternata Pall. does not grow in Caucasus; nevertheless, we present it here, as a representative of "Flora of the USSR“ for the Novorosiysk region, and submit here more accurate data on its distribution area, using partly materials of Busch (L.c.) and partly the herbariums samples, having been studied by us in the Botany Institutes of Leningrad and Tbilisi and which were quite scarcely represented, it should be mentioned also.