McLewin, Will (2006) Peony rockii and Gansu Mudan , available directly from his website, www.phedar.com. [Abstract: The formal name for these woody peonies, initially derived from Paeonia rockii is Paeonia Gansu Group. They have been the subject of many misconceptions, partly because they have been extremely difficult to obtain. White forms have usually been called something like 'Rock's peony' - an invalid and ambiguous name. They have been the holy grail of many gardeners on account of their magnificent scented flowers and their great rarity. In fact there are many different colours and forms and they are becoming readily available. This book explains their origins, dispels the myths and inaccuracies that have surrounded them and celebrates their glorious diversity. They are undemanding shrubs, rewarding and easy to grow. They will inevitably and rightly become much better known but the sheer splendour of their flowers is likely to ensure that as they become more common they will retain their legendary status.]

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1                                                                                                                                                              6

INTRODUCTION 2                                                                                                                                                              9

SECTION 1: NAMES AND HISTORY                                                                                                                            11

                1.   THE QUESTION OF NAMES  11

                2.   BASIC OVERVIEW OF MUDAN CULTIVAR GROUPS AND WILD

                      MUDAN SPECIES  17

                3.   PAEONIA ROCKII  25

                4.   MUDAN; GANSU MUDAN AND PAEONIA GANSU GROUP  35

                5.   ‘ROCK’S PEONY’ - THE TRUE STORY  39

                5a.  MOLECULAR EVIDENCE  66

SECTION 2: PLANTS AND NURSERIES                                                                                                     69

                6.   BOTANICAL AND HORTICULTURAL FEATURES OF GANSU MUDAN  69

                                6.1 Morphology  69

                                6.2 Features during growth  76

                7.   CULTIVATION AND PROPAGATION  79

                8.   NURSERIES AND PEOPLE  86

                                8.1 Peace Peony Nursery  86

                                8.2 Phedar Research and Experimental Nursery  91

                                8.3 La Pivoine Bleue  94

                                8.4 Contact addresses  95

SECTION 3: GANSU MUDAN CULTIVARS                                                                                                                97

                9.   CLASSIFICATION OF CULTIVARS AND CULTIVAR NAMES  97

                                9.1 Classification of cultivars and classification characters  97

                                9.2 Cultivar names  100

                                9.3 The use of cultivar names in practice  102

                10.  GANSU MUDAN CULTIVAR PICTURES, arranged by colour and form 104

SECTION 4: NOTES AND LISTS                                                                                                                   255

                11.   MAIN CULTIVAR LIST AND NOTES  255

                                11.1 Main cultivar list in numerical order, with basic cultivar details  255

                                11.2 Explanatory Notes on the English Equivalents of Gansu Mudan

                                        Cultivar Names  267 

                                11.3 Pronunciation of pinyin names  271

                12.   CULTIVAR REFERENCE LISTS  272                       

                                12.1 Pinyin cultivar names in alphabetical order  272

                                12.2 Chinese character cultivar names in numerical order  277

Color / Form classification

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