accepted name (2006):
Paeonia corsica Sieber ex Tausch (1828) see: Hong & Wang 2006
Stern (1946):
16. P.Russi var. leiocarpa (Cosson) F. C. Stern, comb. nov. in Journ. Roy. Hort. Soc. 68, 126 (1943).Syn. P.corallina Retz.var.Corsica Sieber)Cosson, Compl. Fl.Atlant. 2, 53 (1886) ; Ascherson & Graebner, Syn.Mitteleurop.Fl. 5, ii, 552 (1923), quoad pi. cors. P.corallina var. leiocarpa Cosson, Notes PI. France Crit. Pares Now. fasc. 2, 50 (1850) ; Briquet, Prodr. Fl. Corse, 1, 581 (1910).P.corallina f. Corsica (Sieber) Rouy & Foucaud, Fl. France, 1, 144 (1893).P.Corsica Sieber ex Tausch in Flora, 11, i, 86 (1828) ; Baker in Gard. Chron., N. Ser. 21, 780 (1884) ; Saunders in Nat. Hist. Mag. t. P.216 (1934).P.mascula (L.) Mill. var. Corsica (Sieber) Gürke in Richter, PI. EuroP.401 (1903), pro parte.P.officinalis subsP.corallina var. Corsica (Sieber) Fiori & Paoletti, Fl. Anal. Ital. 1, 527 (1898); Fiori, Novo Fl. Anal. Ital. 1, 690 (1924).
Description. Differs from P.Russi by the glabrous carpels flushed with red, and from P.Russi and var. Reverchoni by the deeper green leaflets with reddish nerves, glabrous to only slightly hairy below. Carpels 3, flushed with red. Follicles a to 2-5 cm. long.
Rus.lei/ Russi leaf/ Rus.rev
Distribution. corsica : Monte Cagna, near Porto Vecchio, Sieber (K) ; Col de Fontanilla, Cousturier (K) ; near Bonifacio, 500 metres, Reverchon 218 (K) ; Vizzavone, Forsyth-Major (K) ; Col de Bavello, Ingram, cult. F. C. Stern (K).
P.Russi var. leiocarpa was named by Sieber and described by Tausch [supra) as P.Corsica. It was said to come from Mt. Cagna, near Porto Vecchio. It is also reported in the centre of the island on the Col de Vizzavone and on the Col de Bavello further south, where it was found by Mr. Collingwood Ingram, who introduced it to English gardens. Specimens of this paeony are rare. Tausch's description is not full and he says the fruit is unknown.
Some botanists have considered it to be identical with P.Cambessedesii. P.Cambessedesii has a greater number of carpels which are purple, has larger, coriaceous leaflets, which are glabrous and purple underneath and also lacks the distinct petiolule of the terminal leaflet. Further, P.Cambessedesii flowers in April, and P.Russi var. leiocarpa in May in English gardens. P.Russi var. leiocarpa is a tetraploid and P.Cambessedesii is a diploid.
There has been considerable doubt about the identity of Sieber's P.Corsica, probably for two reasons, that there are few specimens in herbaria and that this paeony has some very definite resemblances to P.Cambessedesii in the leaflets which are larger than those of P.Russi and in the red flush on the back of the leaves, the petioles and carpels. Until it was collected by Mr. Collingwood Ingram and introduced to cultivation, it was not possible to examine living plants and obtain the chromosome numbers. Since P.Cambessedesii turns out to be a diploid, whereas P.Russi var. leiocarpa is a tetraploid, the differentiation of the two species, indicated by their morphology, becomes absolute.
There appears to be no difficulty in the cultivation of this plant in the garden. It is not so attractive as either P.Cambessedesii or P.Russi var. Reverchoni. [end page 66]
Wister (1961):
P. russi var. leiocarpa (Cosson 1850) Stern, 1943.
Synonyms: corallina var. leiocarpa Cosson, 1850; corallina f. Corsica (Sieber) Rouy & Foucaud, 1893; Corsica Sieber ex Trausch, 1828; and. officinalis subsp. corallina var. Corsica (Sieber) Fiori & Paoletti, 1898. Corsica. Introduced to England by Collingwood Ingram. Not so attractive as reverchoni or cambessedesi but easier to grow. Saunders grew this under the name of "Corsica." Tetraploid—20 chromosomes.
Cullen & Heywood (1964):
Stern (1946) recognizes two variants of P. russii with glabrous carpels, var. reverchonii le grand and var. leiocarpa (cosson) Stern. They may be accomodated within subsp. russii as minor variants. The identity of the gathering of reverchon from Corsica cited by stern has caused some difficulties. As frequently occurs with reverchon's collections, the sheets under the same number differ from one herbarium to another.
Those at Edinburgh (E) and Kew (K) possess mascula-like fruits which are truncate at the apex, with a short style, while those at Liverpool (LIVU) and Manchester (MANCH) have coriacea-like fruits with a long tapering apex and a long style. It seems most probable that Reverchon's material was not all collected from the same place but was given the same number by him (a not infrequent failing of his) and there has been a confusion in labelling.
Hong De-Yuan, Wang Xiao-Quan (2006)
Hong De-Yuan, Wang Xiao-Quan (2006) The identity of Paeonia corsica Sieber ex Tausch (Paeoniaceae), with special reference to its relationship with P. mascula (L.) Mill., Feddes Repertorium, Volume 117, Issue 1-2, 2006. Pages 65-84, Copyright © 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim, Abstract, it is online available [Abstract: The taxonomy of the genus Paeonia in central Mediterranean islands has been controversial, with number of recognized taxa changing greatly from one species without infraspecific division to three species or five infraspecific taxa in one species, and with the number of synonyms as great as 30. In the present work, the taxonomic history is thoroughly reviewed and a taxonomic revision is made based on extensive field work, chromosome observation, population sampling, examination of a large amount of herbarium specimens, and subsequent statistic analysis. As a result of the studies P. corsica Sieber ex Tausch, an ignored specific name, is restored at specific rank, and the species is found distinct from all the three subspecies of P. mascula in this region in having mostly nine (vs 10) leaflets/segments, shorter hairs (1.5 mm vs 3 mm long) on carpels, rather densely holosericeous (vs glabrous or very sparsely hirsute) on the lower surface of leaves. It is a diploid, confined to Corsica France), Sardinia (Italy), Ionian Islands and Akarnania Province of Greece, whereas P. mascula is a tetraploid, widely distributed from Spain to Turkey and Iraq, but not in Corsica, Sardinia and W Greece. In addition, type specimens of four taxa are designated, and 29 botanic names are listed as synonyms of P. corsica in this paper. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) Translated Abstract: Die Identität von Paeonia corsica Sieber ex Tausch (Paeoniaceae), mit besonderem Bezug auf ihre Verwandtschaft mit P. mascula (L.) Mill. Die Taxonomie der Gattung Paeonia auf den zentralen Mittelmeerinseln ist stets kontrovers gewesen. Die Anzahl der Taxa wechselte zwischen einer Art ohne infraspezifische Differenzierung bis zu drei oder fünf infraspezifische Taxa innerhalb einer Art. Die Anzahl der Synonyme beträgt bis zu 30 Taxa. In vorliegender Arbeit wird die Geschichte der Taxonomie sorgfältig betrachtet und eine taxonomische Revision auf der Basis extensiver Feldstudien, Chromosomen-Bewertung, Sammlungen von Populationen, der Untersuchung zahlreicher Herbarproben und abschließender statistischer Analysen vorgenommen. Im Ergebnis dieser Untersuchungen wird Paeonia corsica Sieber ex Tausch, ein bislang unbeachteter Artname, erneut in den Rang einer Art erhoben. Diese in dieser Region gefundene Spezies wurde als verschieden von den drei Unterarten von Paeonia mascula befunden. Sie hat meist neun ( 10) Blättchen, kürzere Haare (1.5 mm vs 3 mm lang) auf dem Karpell dichtere holoserios (vs glabrous oder selten hirsut) auf der Blattunterseite. Paeonia corsica ist diploid auf Korsika (Frankreich), Sardinien (Italien), den Ionischen Inseln und der Provinz Akarnania in Griechenland, während Paeonia mascula tetraploid ist und weit verbreitet von Spanien bis in die Türkei und den Irak, fehlt aber auf Korsika, Sardinien und in Westgriechenland. Außerdem werden Typspecimen für 4 Taxa festgelegt. Als Synonyme von P. corsica wurden 29 Namen aufgelistet. Received: 8 November 2005 ] [local copy pdf html scan]
Syn.: Paeonia corallina var. leiocarpa Coss., Notes pl., Crit. 2: 50. 1850. = Paeonia russoi var. leiocarpa (COSS.) Stern, Roy. Hort. Soc. 68: 126. 1943. Type: Corsica, Mt. Cagna, 18. 07. 1849, L. Kralik s. n. (holotype, P!).
