F.C. Stern A Study of the Genus Paeonia

38. P.officinalis L. emend. Willdenow, L. SP.PI. 2, i22i (1800); Scopoli, Fl. Cam. Ed. 2, 1, 378 (1772); Retzius, Obs. Bot. 3, 35 (1783), excl. syn. Mill. ; Willdenow, Enum. Hwt. Berol. 572 (1809) ; Aiton, Hort. Kew. Ed. 2, 3, 315 (1811) ; Savi, Bot. Etrusc. 2, n8 (1815) ; DC. Syst. 1, 389 (1817) ; Anderson in Trans. Linn. Soc. London, 12, 264 (1818) ; Smith in Rees, Cycl. no. 3 (1819) ; DC. Prodr. 1, 65 (1824) ; Redoute, Choix Fl. t. 104, 107 (1827) ; Gaudin, Fl. Helvet. 3, 453 (1828) ; Koch, RShlings Deutschl. Fl. 4, 56 (1833), et Syn. Fl. Germ. Helv. 26 (1837) ; Bertoloni, Fl. ltd. 5, 392 (1842) ; Grenier & Godron, Fl. France, 1, 53 (1848) ; Cusin & Ansberque, Herb. Fl. Franf. 1, t. 153 (1867) ; Baker in Gard. Chron., N. Ser. 21, 829 (1884) ; Baillon, Ic. Fl. Franf. 3, t. 265 (1885-94) ; HaUier, Koch's Syn. Deutsch. Schweiz. Fl. 58 (1890); Schinz & Thellung in Bull. Herb. Boiss., Ser. 2, 7, 181 (1907), et in Viertel-jahrsschr. Nat. Ges. Zurich, 60, 353 (1915); Bonnier, Fl. Compl. France, Suisse, Belg. 1, 40, t. 22 (1911); Beck, Fl. Bosn., Herzeg. 186 (in Wiss. Mitt. Bosn. Herzeg. 13, 212), (1916); Schinz & Keller, Fl. Schweiz. Ed. 4, 1, 254 (1923) ; Hayek, Prodr. Fl. Penins. Balcan. 1 (in Fedde, ReP.SP.Nov. Beih. 30, i), 297 (1924); Mansfeld in Fedde, ReP.SP.Nov. 47, 274 (1939); F. C. Stern in Jowm. Roy. Hort. Soc. 68, 129 (1943). Numerous references to figures will be found in the Index Londinensis.Syn. P.officinalis subsP.euofficinalis Fiori & Paol., va.r.feminea L., Fiori & Paoletti, Fl. Anal. Ital. 1, 526 (1898).P.officinalis var. albicans Sabine in Trans. Hort. Soc. London, 2, 275 (1817) ; Anderson in Trans. Linn. Soc. London, 12,268(i8i8).P.officinalis var. anemoniflora Hook. in Bot. Mag. t. 3175 (1832) ; Journ. Jard. 1838, P.279 ; Garden, 31, 513 (1887). P.officinalis var. aureolimbata Lem. in III. Hort. 14, t. 579 (1869). P.officinalis var. blanda Anderson, I.e. 266 (i8i8). P.officinalis var. carnescens Sabine, I.e. 275 (1817) ; Anderson, I.e. 268 (i8i8). P.officinalis var. eufeminea Ascherson & Graebner, Syn. Mitteleur. Fl. 5, ii, 555 (1923). P.officinalis vzr.feminea L. SP.PI. 1, 530 (1753) ; Fiori, Nwvo Fl. Anal. Ital. 1, 689 (1924). P.officinalis var. rosea Anderson, I.e. 266 (i8i8).P.officinalis var. rubra Sabine, I.e. 274 (1817) ; Anderson, I.e. 267 (i8i8) ; Morris, Fl. ConsP.t. n (1825-30). P.officinalis var. Sabini Anderson, I.e. 265 (i8i8). P.officinalis var. straminea Jacques in Journ. Jard. 1842, P.317, c. ic. P.anemoniflora (Hook.) Hort.; Garden, 31, tab. P.512 (1887); Neubert's Deutsch. Gart. Mag. 46, 386, c. fig. (1893). ? P.commutata Wender in Flora, 12, i, Erg. 29 (1829). P.elegans Sabine ex Salm-Dyck, Hort. Dyck, 370 (1834).P.feminea Miller, Gard. Dict. Ed. 8, no. 2 (1768) ; Desfontaines, Tabl. Ecole Bot. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, 126 (1804) ; Fritsch in Verh. Zool. Bot. Ges. Wien, 49, 240 (1899) ; Gürke in Richter, PI. EuroP.2, 402 (1903) ; Hire, Rev. Fl. Croat. 1 (in Rad. Jugoslav. Akad. 167, 115), 444 (1906) ; Schinz in Vierteljahrsschr. Nat. Ges. Zürich, 51, 219 (1906), 53, 533 ('909) ; Schinz & Keller, Fl. Schweiz. Ed. 3, 1, 2o8 (1909) ; Dalla Torre & Samthein Fl. Tirol, 6, ii, 223 (1909). P.feminea var. alba Porta ex Dalla Torre and Samthein, I.e. (1909). ? P.festiva Tausch in Flora, 11, i, 84 (1828).P.foemina Garsault, Fig.PI.Anim.Med. t.435(1764), etDescr.PI.Anim.3,260,t4353 (1767)], Thellung in Bull. Herb. Boiss., Ser. 2,8,902 (1908).P.hirsuta Miller, Gard. Dict. Ed. 8, no. 4 (1768). P.monticola Jordan in Jordan & Fourreau, Ic. Fl. Eur. 2, 37, t. 319 (1903). P.nemoralis Salisbury, Prodr. 375 (1796).P.peregrina Mill. sec.Koch, Syn.Fl.Germ.Helv. 26(1837), Ed.2,p.28(1843), excl. var. ; Schlechtendal, Lang & Schenk, Fl.Deutschl. Ed.5,11,t. 1090-1(1882); Bumat, Fl.Alpes- Marit. 1,54 (1892), pro parte ; Hartinger, Atl.Alpenfl. 2, t.113(1897) ;Pospich,Fl.Oesterr.Küstenl. 2,112(1898);non Mill. P.peregrina var. officinalis (L.) Huth in Engl. Bot. Jahrb. 14, 270 (1891). [end page 99]P.peregrina f. angustata Rouy & Foucaud, Fl. France, 1, 145 (1893). P.peregrina f. officinalis (L.), Rouy & Foucaud, I.e. 146 (1893). P.peregrina f. peregrina (Mill.) Rouy & Foucaud, I.e. 146 (1893). ? P.porrigens Reichenbach, Fl. Germ. Excurs. 752 (1832).P.promiscua Tausch in Flora, 11,i,83(1828), pro parte; Reichenbach, I.e. 751 (1832), et Ic. Fl. Germ. 4, t. 126 (1840). P.pubens Reichenbach, I.e. 751 (1832), I.e. 4, t, 124 (1840), pro parte. P.rosea Host, Fl. Austr. 2, 64 (1831), pro parte. P.subternata Salm-Dyck, Hort. Dyck, 367 (1834). ?P.versicolor Hort. ex Loudon, Hort. Brit. N. Ed. [3] Suppl. II, 653 (1839). P.villarsii Jordan in Jordan&Fourreau, Ic.Fl.Eur..2,37,t.318(1903).

Description. Stem sparsely villose, soon glabrous, 35-60 cm. high. Lower leaves bitemate, but the leaflets deeply cut into numerous narrow elliptic or narrow oblong acute segments which are (7)-8-n cm. long and 1.5-2.5 cm. wide, green and glabrous above, paler and sparsely villose or sometimes glabrous below ; petiolules and petiole villose to glabrous. Flowers 9-13 cm. across. Petals obovate, widespreading, red. Stamens 1.5 cm. long, filaments red, anthers yellow. Carpels 2-3, densely tomentose. Follicles 2.5-3 cm. long.


 

 

 


Distribution. France, Switzerland, North Italy, Istria, Tyrol, S. Albania. france : Drome, Alpes du Dauphine, Mt. de Pierre, near Eibsters, Borel (K). Hautes-Alpes, Briancon to Barbin, near Guillestre, Reverchon (K). switzerland : Mt. Generoso, Herb. Boissier (K), Thomas (K). north italy and tyrol : Cavedago, Heuffler (K) ; Val di Ledro, Porta (K) ; Brix, Porta (K) ; Corho di Canzo, Lecco, Lake Como, Joad (K) ; Binao, Mt. Sera, 1770 metres, Huter (K) ; valle di Lanzo, cult. E. Thomas (K) ; Alpa di Melano, Generoso, Tessin, 1000-1600 metres, Mwet (K) ; Mt. Baldi, prov. di Verona, Riga (K). istria : Between Opcina and Brisuki, Jackson & Turrill 344 (K) ; Mt. Maggiore, near Fiume, A. Af. Smith (K) ; Mt. Spaccato, Engelhardt (K), Bentham 293 (K); Trieste, Bentham 151 (K); Morandell (K) ; R. Alajo, Sadi & Paua (K) ; Mt. Karso, Jan (K) ; Illyria, sine loc. Tommasin (K) ; sine loc. Fleischer (K). yugoslavia : Krain, Freyer (K).

The name of Paeonia officinalis is probably the most generally known specific name and has been ascribed to several species by botanists. It was the first name given to a paeony by Linnaeus, who originally "lumped" all the species together. However, in his Species Plantarum (1753) he divided them into two forms : ac feminea and j8 mascula, giving references under each form to the works of earlier botanists. Under en feminea he quotes Haller (1742), Bauhin's Pinax (1621), Fuchs's Historia (1542), and Lobel (1581). The first two authors give references to the synonyms of the plant they are describing and the last two give figures ofP.femina ; Fuchs's figure ofP.femina is especially good and is reproduced on page 119; Lobel's picture is small but recognisable. Haller quotes, among other authors, Fuchs and Gesner; the latter says that the plant " grows in the mountains above Glarus, from which the river Serf rises, that is near Lugano." This is a very short summary of the evidence leading to the conclusion that this paeony from Mt. Generoso, near Lugano, was the species that Linnaeus had in mind when he gave it the name Paeonia officinalis. The nomenclature is fully explained on page 125 et seq.

P.officinalis grows to about 35 cm. high, the leaves are glabrous or sparsely villous below and the carpels densely tomentose. The leaves of most specimens of wild plants are sparsely villous, but in many garden specimens they are glabrous ; the form with glabrous leaves was named P.festiva by Tausch.

P.officinalis extends from southern Switzerland to northern Italy, then extends westwards to the districts round Briancon in France and to the east through Istria and down the Dalmatian coast to Albania ; the forms in southern Albania are nearly if not quite glabrous. [end page 100]

There is another paeony, found on the high ground in the Basses Alpes above Mentone through Caussols and Verignon, St. Cyr de Chatoux to Avignon, which is exactly like P.officinalis in the shape and size of the leaf-segments, but the petiole and the back of the leaves are hairy. The plant has sometimes been known by the name of P.villosa, a name introduced by Desfontaines (1804), who, however, bracketed this name with P.humilis, but as he never described the plant the name is invalid. As this plant differs from P.officinalis of Mt. Generoso only in the increased hairiness of the petiole and back of the leaves, it would seem to be a form belonging to a particular geographical area but so close to P.officinalis that it is not possible to separate it as a species. The degree of hairiness of the petioles and of the undersides of the leaves, when there is no other distinguishing character, does not seem to justify any separation.

P.officinalis, according to Saunders and Stebbins (1938), is a tetraploid. .

The true wild plants of P.officinalis are not often seen in cultivation but there are plenty of garden forms which are most attractive and easy to cultivate. [end page 101]