Peony Registry

Received October 28, 2020. Seedling No. 91-0405. Parentage: ‘Night Watch’ x ‘Moonrise’. First bloomed 1996, first propagated 1998. Has been previously distributed under number P00515 and also as “Red Ray.” Midseason bloom period. Dark red SINGLE flowers, become brighter as they mature. One bloom per stem, 5 inches in size (13 cm). Ten petals, smoothly rounded, gently cupped. Carpels 2-3 in number, white, lightly tinged green. Stigmas white, normal anatomy. Prominent center of pollen-bearing stamens, filaments pale yellow. Well-developed staminodal disc, white. Fragrance. Emerges from the ground with glossy green foliage, washed purplish, more so along the edges. Upright growth to 29 inches (74 cm), mechanical support not needed. Fertile both ways. Tends to produce red seedlings and pollen tends to do likewise, this mitigated somewhat by choice of seed parent. A single flower, but useful for its tendency to maintain a tidy appearance in that it is slow to drop its pollen. It its season provides an excellent color contrast in an otherwise sea of paler blooms. The name has a double meaning, firstly the flower shining out like a beam of red light, and the other in memory of registrants best friend in college, Ray.