Paeonia 2025

[koen]

Yes, at first I thought you would have P. x lagodechiana (=P. caucasica x P. mlokosewitschii) since those can have all kinds of colour. But the image was quite clear with the glabrous carpels. A rare species :-)

Thank You, Koen! It´s good to feel sure - I got that seedling with a batch of P. mlokosewitschii seedlings.

[Mariette]

Yes, Koen, at first I thought it would be a hybrid, too. But the early flowering - decidedly before P. mlokosewitschii and caucasica - made me doubt and look closer for the details. I wonder if my single plant will produce seed.  Did You rise seedlings from Your pink clone? One might hope for a white flowered one. 

Your Paeonia archibaldii looks wonderful!

[koen]

I've never seen a white P. kesrouanensis. I did have some seeds a few times, but only a few and they are difficult to germinate. The seeds are usually much larger than other peony species seeds (except for P. ludlowii). I try crossing this species with double flowered cultivars in the hope of getting something worthwhile that blooms so very early (and with good fragrance). A few are coming along, but they are still a few years from flowering.

Yes, Koen, at first I thought it would be a hybrid, too. But the early flowering - decidedly before P. mlokosewitschii and caucasica - made me doubt and look closer for the details. I wonder if my single plant will produce seed.  Did You rise seedlings from Your pink clone? One might hope for a white flowered one. 

Your Paeonia archibaldii looks wonderful!

[Mariette]

That´s very interesting, Koen. Loving scented plants, I smelled at the flower, and it had a slight scent. Reminding me more of the shrubby peonies than P. lactiflora.
A friend collected seed in Turkey and succeeded to germinate them, but lost the seedlings afterwards. My seedling took 2-4 years more to reach flowering size than the 3 P. mlokosewitschii seedlings I received together with it.
Some sources mention white forms of P. kesrouanensis, but perhaps the very pale pink form shown here is meant.

https://www.nargs.org/paeonia-2014

[koen]

I was curious to see that white P. kesrouanensis, so went to see on the nargs site. But that is not P. kesrouanensis, the picture is not very clear nor large, but as far as I can see the carpels are tomentose. And the foliage doesn't resemble P. kesrouanensis anyway. Rather it is P. flavescens. It grows in the same region as P. mascula ssp russoi, Sicily to be more precise. It is sometimes considered to be synonymous with the latter, although not really the case IMHO. I've seen images of many 'albino' forms of normally pink or reddish species (P. caucasica, P. broteri, P. corsica...) but never any of P. kesrouanensis. It already is pretty enough being pink :-)

That´s very interesting, Koen. Loving scented plants, I smelled at the flower, and it had a slight scent. Reminding me more of the shrubby peonies than P. lactiflora.
A friend collected seed in Turkey and succeeded to germinate them, but lost the seedlings afterwards. My seedling took 2-4 years more to reach flowering size than the 3 P. mlokosewitschii seedlings I received together with it.
Some sources mention white forms of P. kesrouanensis, but perhaps the very pale pink form shown here is meant.

https://www.nargs.org/paeonia-2014

[Mariette]

You´re certainly right, Koen - by closer inspection the carpels seem tomentose and the stigmas not fitting for P. kesrouanensis. When browsing for information on that species I found a turkish webside with precise botanical desriptions and many pictures of plants growing wild. I believe there was at least one white specimen amongst those, unfortunately I cannot find that source again, though I tried several times. I agree, the light pink flowers of my plant are beautiful, and the satiny sheen on the widely opening petals could not be more obvious on a white flower. 

[Hans J]

Mariette ,

maybe this is P.mascula v. bodurii ?
This species flowers white and is a P.mascula and it grows in Turkey :
https://www.peonysociety.org/species/herbaceous/corallinae/mascula/

The other P.mascula with white flowers like P.mascula v. ikaria + P.mascula v.hellenica grows only in Greece

Hans

[koen]

Well, as coincidence happens I once wrote an article about peonies in Turkey, so I think I know most or all of them.

In Turkey there are many peony species, but only few of them are white and restricted to small areas:

-the best known one is P. mascula ssp bodurii as Hans mentioned. NW Turkey. But tomentose carpels.
-a lesser known one (not formally accepted as yet) is Paeonia arietina ssp arasicola. Just like P. arietina but with white petals or sometimes slightly blush. Only a few less accessible locations in Northern Turkey. Also tomentose carpels of course.
-there is also P. macrophylla, that one is pale yellow in bud and at first opening, but fades to white, that one does have glabrous carpels.

You can always read the full article here:
https://www.peonysociety.org/peonies-of-turkey/

You´re certainly right, Koen - by closer inspection the carpels seem tomentose and the stigmas not fitting for P. kesrouanensis. When browsing for information on that species I found a turkish webside with precise botanical desriptions and many pictures of plants growing wild. I believe there was at least one white specimen amongst those, unfortunately I cannot find that source again, though I tried several times. I agree, the light pink flowers of my plant are beautiful, and the satiny sheen on the widely opening petals could not be more obvious on a white flower. 

[Mariette]

Having never seen a peony growing wild, I´m certainly not helpful when it comes to identify them. Thank You both for Your valuable information!
When Herman Mylemans showed his P. kesrouanensis, I had the idea that my seedling flowering for the first time might be this species. I started browsing for information and came upon the webside mentioned, which showed in detail the features of P. kesrouanensis and several pics of plants growing wild. Amongst them, as far as I remember, was at least one white form shown as a variant. I´m very sorry that I cannot find that webside again.
Hans was so kind to give me privately these details: glabrous carpels and crooked stigma, which made me take a pic of these. I´m sorry that I cannot contribute more to that matter.

[ashley]

Grown as Paeonia cambessedesii although clearly not 'glabrous throughout'.

[koen]

Paeonia x litvinskajae. Supposedly a natural hybrid between P. wittmanniana x P. caucasica. Or P. daurica ssp wittmanniana x P. daurica ssp coriifolia if you'd like to follow current nomenclature. Always looks like P. wittmanniana except for the colour which is slightly pink, therefore some people think it is merely a colour variant of P. wittmanniana and has nothing to do with P. caucasica.