The Caucasian Representatives of the Genus Paeonia L.
L.M. Kemularia-Nathadse, Trudy Tiflis. Botan. Sada 1961
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Chapter IV
Systematic analysis of Caucasian species of the genus Paeonia L.
2. Paeonia Steveniana (Stev.) Kem.-Nath. nomen novum.
Syn. P. Wittmanniana Stev. in Bull. Soc. Nat. Mosq. ser. Ill (1848) 275; Boiss. Fl. Or. I (1867) 97 pp. ; Rupr., Fl. Cauc. (1869) 46; N. Busch in Fl. Cauc. crit. Ill, 3 (1901-1903) 12; Grossg. Fl. Cauc. II (1930) 91; Schipch. in Fl. USSR, VII (1937) 29; Kemularia-Nathadse in Fl. Gruz. IV (1948) 5, P. Wittmanniana var. nudicarpa Schipcz. in Not. Syst. Herb. Hort. Bot. Petrog. 2 (1921) 44; Stem, Monogr. in Jour. Horticult. Soc. I. (1946) 59; Grossg. Fl. Cauc. (1950) 12. XVI.
The plants are large, 50-100cm high or somewhat higher; rhizomes are branchy with dark-brown, long spindle-like root thickenings; the stem is firm, cylindrical or slightly ribbed; the leaves are double thrice ternate, green, bare at the upper side, grayish, with more or less dense long white hairs at the lower side; leaf-lobes are ovate or oblong-oval, of which the lateral lobes are with a rounded or nearly heart-shaped base, upon short petiols or being nearly sessile, narrowed at the apex; the terminal lobe is large and, usually, tapered at both tips. The blossoms are not broad-patent, with sharply concave petals, filaments are yellow as a whole, or flesh-coloured as a whole or up to the middle; ovary is oblong-ovate, naked; stigmas are flesh-coloured, tapered, with a more or less long style. The fruits are naked, oblong-ovate or oval, curvedly spreading.
Habitat. From the upper montane belt to the subalpine belt, in forests, on margins, in shrubberies. Original habitat: Georgia, Meskhetia, between Akhaltsikh and Atskhur.
Type. "In the shady gorge between Kartalinia and Akhaltsikh, not far from Atskhur. V, 1840, Wittmann". The description was obtained from live samples brought up in the late Caucasian dept. of the Tiflis Botanical garden.
Topotype. Atskhur. Akhalts. 25, VI, 1903, A. Fomin. It is kept in Herbarium of the Institute of Botany of the Georgian Academy, Tbilisi.
Studied samples. Georgia, Abchazia, the outskirts of Gagri, Schavrov!
Svanetia, the southern slope of the Dadianovsky ridge, Akinfiev!
Megrelia. The ridge Okhachkuye, lime-stones, 9. VII. 1956, Kemularia-Nathadse, Kutateladze, Mandenova, Mikeladze, Dolidze! Djvari, 1893! Albov, 1956! Khintidze and Mikeladze!
Mnt. Migaria, 22.VI.1957, Khintibidze and Mikeladze! E. and M. Sokhadze!
Mnt. Askhi, 19. V. 1957, Kemularia-Nathadse, Khintibidze and Mikeladze.!
Racha-Lenchumi, the Khvamli 13.VI.1958 Kemularia Nathadse, Khintibidze and Mikeladze! 1957. E. and M. Sokhadze!
Nakeralsky ridge 26.VI.1928 Kemularia-Nathadse, G. Chichinadze!
Imeretia, the Nakeralsky ridge, near Chischkara 24.VI.1928 Kemularia-Nathadse. G. Chichinadze and V. Djindjikhadze!
Nakeralsky ridge 1951, A. Kutateladze!
Kartly. Borjom, "Kupalische", in forest, 15.V. 1913, Sosnovsky!
Outskirts of Borjom, the Baniskhevsk gorge, 27. V. 1920!
the ridge Dashiris-seri, the north slope, 8.VI.1920, Kozlovsky!
Bakuriani, 6.VI.1928, Mukheri! 10.VI.1913, Kozlovsky; Sakochavi! 25. V. 1888, Medvedev! 17.VIII.1946, V. Nakhutsishvili!
in forest by the Sakochavsky lakes. II.VI.1913. Kozlovsky! 17.VII.1917. L. Kemularia! VIII. 1935, I. Barnabishvili!
South Ossetia. Mut Sirkh-Laberta, a forest in the direction of Hohenacker, 2.000m, 21.VIII.1928! Khodze-Khor, 19.VII.1930 E. and N. Busch!
Meskhetia. B. Ankur. "The shady gorge", V.1840, Wittmann!
Atskur, 25.VI.1903, A. Fomin!
Geographic type. Montane Kolchidsky. General distribution. Endemic.
Remarks. This species was given an improper name, unfortunately (see P. Wittmanniana Hartwiss). It was described by Steven from the samples collected by Wittmann in "the shady forest between Kartalinia and Akhaltsikh near Atskhur" in 1848. But earlier, in 1846, the identical name was given to a peony from Abchazia which was described by Hartwiss and Lindley. In this case, the priority of authorship and name belongs to Hartwiss, and the Steven's peony is to be given another name. As Steven was first who paid attention for this plant and described it as a new species, we name it in honour of the academician Steven. This species differs from the P. Wittmanniana Hartwiss ex Lindley not only with bare fruits, but also with the form of ovaries and stigmas, with leaves which are grayish and densely downy at the lower side and which lobes are sharpened at the apex and often nearly rounded at the base. It resembles P. macrophylla (Alb.) Lomak. with the absence of pubescence upon ovaries and fruits and with their form. With its leaflobes form, it has some likeness with the P. tomentosa (Lomak.) N. Busch from Talish from which it distinctly differs with the naked fruits, petals form and colour and separated area of distribution, nevertheless.