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.

4. Paeonia tomentosa (Lomak.) N. Busch

Busch N. A. "Opred." Ranales Cauc. (1919); 7; Grossh. "Fl. Cauc." II (1930) 91; Schipczinsky, in "Fl. USSR" VII (1937) 26.

Syn. P. Wittmanniana var. tomentosa Lomak. in "Trudi Tifl. BG" II (1897) 283; Lipsky, "Fl. Cauc." (1899) 213; Schipczinsky in Not. Syst. Hort. Bot. Petrog." 2 (1921) 2 (1921) 44; P. Wittmanniana Busche, Aufzahl. Transcauc. Pers. Pfl. (1860) 8. Boiss., Fl. Or. (1867) 97 pp. ; Huth. in Engler Bot. Jahrb. 14. (1891) 266 pp. ; Stern, Monogr. in Jour. Roy. Hort. Soc. (1946) 56. P. Mlokosewitschii Grossh. (non Lomak.) "Opred." (1949) 44; Fl. Cauc. IV (1950) 13 pp. ; Rzazade in "Fl. Azerbadjana" IV (1953) 29. The picture in "Fl. Azerb." IV (1953) I sub P. Mlokosewitschii.

Perennials, having branchy rhizomes with radical thickenings; stem is long, 80-150 cm high, thick, firm, leaves are large, 6-8 cm long 3-6 cm wide, rough, dark-green, shrivelled, with distinguishably protruding veins at the lower side, grayish in result of pubescence formed by long hairs; leaf-lobes (leaflets) are ovate, obovate, elliptical with a shortly acuminate apex and a rounded nearly heart-shaped emarginate base. The blossoms are light-yellow, broad patent; sepals are downy from inside, petals are broad obovate, distinctly tapered at the base; anthers are yellow, filaments are violet or yellow, violet or reddish at the base; ovary is tomentose-downy, tangled with yellowish-grayish hairs; stigmas are flesh-coloured; filaments are purple as a whole or at the base only, in which case the upper part is yellow. The fruits are oblong ovate, 2.5-3 cm long, curvedly spreading, slightly covered with grayish-yellow hairs. The seeds are large, 7-8 mm long, covered by a net of large wrinkles.

Distribution. The upper montane belt, in forest, upon steep slopes.

Original habitat. Talish, a forest on mt. Nudus-Galasi.

Type. A forest on mnt. Nudus-galasi, 17,VI. 1894 L.Lomakin. The description was obtained from live specimens grown in the Caucasian department of the Tiflis Botanical Garden.

Specimens studied. Azerbaidjan: Talish. Forest near Nudus- Galasi 17,VI. 1894.L. Lomakin!

between Lyulyakeran and Orant 4. UII. 897 Alexeyenko!

Zuvant near the vill. Lerik, in forest 21. V. 1916.20.VII. 1917. Grossheim! 21.VIII.38. Rzazada!

west from Lerik. in shrubbery 4.V 1946. Ilyinskaya and Kirpichnikov!

Geographical type: Montane girkansky. General distribution. The East Transcaucsus. the North Iran.

Remarks. As far as a question of the Talish peony, P.tomentosa ( Lomak.) N. Busch is concerned we adhere to the point of view expressed by the authors of " Fl. USSR" ( 1937) and can't agree neither with A.A. Grossheim ("Opr." 1949. "Fl. Cauc." 1950) and P. Y. Rzazade ("Fl. Azerbaydjan" 1953), who identify this peony with the Lagodekhsky peony P. Mlokosewitschii Lomak. nor with Stern (1946) who considers it a synonym of P. Wittmanniana Hartwiss.

This species differs from the peony Mlokosewitschii quite distinctly with the heart-shaped or ovate lobes of rough leaves which are dark-green at the upper side and which ribs (vlins) protrude sharply, especially, at the lower side, and, also, with the stigma's and filaments colour, the petal's form and with the character of pubescence of ovary and fruits. A clear outlook on P. tomentosa (Lomak.) N. Busch. is illustrated by the picture printed in "Flora Azerbaydjana" (1953); unfortunately, a name of this plant was called incorrectly in this edition. As to the picture, published in the posthumous edition of "Fl. Cauc." (1950) by Grossheim, it should be regarded as fallacious, not typical for the Talishsky species, not to say about it having nothing in common with P. Mlokosewitschii (Lomak.).

The form of leaves and, especially, leaf-lobes make P. tomentosa (Lomak.) N. Busch. look somewhat alike with P. Steveniana Kem.-Nath. (P. Wittmanniana Stev.) that induced Lomakin to describe this plant as a variety and N. A. Busch to consider it a subspecies of P. Wittmanniana Stev. Hower this peony differs from the latter quite noticeably with the broad patent blossoms and, mostly, with the tomentose downy ovaries and fruits, and, also. with the separated areas of^rogafiation, that made N. A. Busch (1919) consider this plant a self-dependent species, afterwards. It is quite inadmissible not to distinguish these two species P. tomentosa (Lomak.) N. Busch from Talish and P. Wittmanniana Hartwiss (P. abchasica Miscz) growing in forest of Abchazia. Both of them have the only one common feature which is the ovary's and ¹¹ fruits pubescence. Having green leaves at both sides, the latter species may be easily distinguished from P. tomentosa (Lomak.) N. Busch. which leaves are dark-green at the upper side and grayish at the lower side; moreover, the abchazian peony's leaf-lobes are tapered at the base; its pale yellow, nearly white petals are oval, almost rounded at the base; as to the Talishinsky species, its lateral leaf lobes are rounded at the base or nearly heart-shaped, petals are yellow, obovate, cuneately narrowed at the base. Also, these plants differ from each other with the separated areas of distribution.

So, it may be concluded that these two peonies are regarded as two independent species.