Peony Registry

Seedling number JJA17-4. Parentage: P. archibaldii x P. coriacea (likely). First bloomed 2015, first propagated 2021. Very early blooming SINGLE flowers are 7 cm (2.75”), upward facing, and average one per stem. Blooms extremely early, one of the first to bloom together with P. archibaldii, coriacea and tomentosa. Flowers open as a rosy pink, darker at the base and in the interior of petals, lighter in the exterior and towards petal tips, slightly fading with age. Petals are cupped, and are typically 4.5 cm (1.75”) in width. Very faint, unspecific scent. Two to three smooth, green carpels carry pink stigmas of normal anatomy. Filaments 9 mm (0.33”), pink, anthers 9 mm (0.33”), yellow. No seeds as yet upon open pollination, pollen fertility unknown. Disk is poorly developed, and white in color. Height on first blooming is about 25 cm (10”), later some 45 cm (18”). Foliage at the time of emergence is copper colored, and maintains this color at time of flowering; throughout glabrous, broad, pointed, finally maturing to green. Growth habit is upright; mechanical support is unnecessary. Grown from seed purchased from the late Jim Archibald under his accession number JJA17180. In 2018, Janis Ruksans described accession JJA17180 as Paeonia archibaldii (see International Rock Gardener No. 102, pp. 3-13, June 2018). In Jim’s polytunnel, the carpel from which JJA17-4 came must have been pollinated with a different species, most likely P. coriacea, which resulted in this nice hybrid seedling. Rosenquarz is German for the gemstone rosy quartz.