B.A. Winterholler
Rare plants of Kazakhstan
Redkije rastenija Kasachstana, Alma-Ata 1976, Izdatelstvo „Nauka“
Translated from the Russian by Dr. Carsten Burkhardt , unfinished
PAEONIA L.
Paeonia anomala L. — Paeoniaceae Rudolphi
Large perennials with fleshy, spindle-shaped root-extensions. Blooms red, pinkish-red, 8—15 (18)cm in diameter; Petales silky, toothed at the edge. Seeds black. Flowering time fom begin of May and lasts until June. Plant of Forests and forest-clearings open meadows, spread up to the eastern Kazakhstan. Widespread from the northern and western Tien-Shan, up to the Dzhungarskij Alatau, the Tjarbagataj and the Kasakhian Altai.
Paeonia hybrida Pall. Pion stepnoj (kas. zhau-tchmuldyk)
Paeonia hybrida differs from P. anomala in smaller leaves and tubers, which look like dahlia roots. Seeds shiny, dark-brown. Bloom May-June. Grows in the Altai, the Pamir and the Tien-Shan Mts. This species can be found predominantly on dry steppe slopes of the foothills and open rocky slopes of the low mountain-altitudes.
Aus obiger Beschreibung beider Arten geht hervor, daß sie sehr dekorativ sind und breite Verwendung in der Gartenkultur finden. Sie bieten auch Perspektiven für die Züchtung.
In den letzten Jahren wurden P. anomala in der Umgebung von Alma-Ata massiv ausgebeutet. Anfang Mai sind die Straßen und Märkte überflutet von den leuchtend-roten Päonien. Das massenweise Sammeln führte zum Verschwinden der Pflanzen an ihren ursprünglichen Standorten. Die wildwachsenden Päonien verdienen als dekorative Pflanzen einen ausreichenden Schutz innerhalb ihres natürlichen Areales, wo sie mittlerweile sehr selten geworden sind.
From above description of both types emerges, that they are very decorative and find wide application in the garden-culture. You/they offer also perspectives for the Züchtung.
In the last years was exploited P. anomala in the surroundings of Alma-Ata massively. Beginning of May, the streets and markets are flooded by the shining-red Päoniens. That in large numbers collecting led to the disappearance of the plants at her/its/their original locations. The wild Päoniens earn a sufficient protection within her/its/their natural Areales as decorative plants, where they have become very rare in the meantime.