Paeonia daurica subsp. mlokosewitschii
| Paeonia daurica subsp. mlokosewitschii | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Core eudicots |
| Order: | Saxifragales |
| Family: | Paeoniaceae |
| Genus: | Paeonia |
| Species: | P. daurica |
| Subspecies: | P. d. subsp. mlokosewitschii |
| Trinomial name | |
| Paeonia daurica subsp. mlokosewitschii (Lomakin) D.Y.Hong | |
Paeonia daurica subsp. mlokosewitschii (golden peony or Caucasian peony) is a species of peony, native to the Caucasus Mountains in Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Dagestan, where it grows on rocky slopes in oak, hornbeam, or beech forests.
In 2002, the Chinese botanist Hong Deyuan reduced Paeonia mlokosewitschii to a subspecies of Paeonia daurica, namely Paeonia daurica Andrews subsp. mlokosewitschii (Lomakin) D.Y.Hong.
It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing twenty-three to twenty-seven inches (60–70 cm) tall, with biternate, glaucous leaves with obovate lobes. In spring it bears large, single, lemon-yellow flowers five inches (10–12 cm) in diameter, the ovary pubescent, the two to four carpels white, pink or yellow, and the stamen filaments yellow-green.
It was discovered by the Polish botanist Ludwik Mlokosiewicz in 1897, after whom it was named by Aleksandr Lomakin. The plant is sometimes nicknamed "Molly the Witch", a humorous mispronunciation of the species name, which most non-Poles find difficult to pronounce.
Sources and references
- Caucasian Representatives of the Genus Paeonia: 5. Paeonia mlokosewitschii
- Ornamental Plants From Russia: Paeonia mlokosewitschii
- Germplasm Resources Information Network: Paeonia mlokosewitschii
- Josef J. Halda and James W. Waddick. The Genus Paeonia. Timber Press. ISBN 0-88192-612-4
- A. Huxley [ed.] (1992). The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening 3: 438. Macmillan. ISBN 1-56159-001-0
- Paeonia — Pacific Bulb Society
- BBC Gardener's Question Time Factsheet (1 July 2001)
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