Peony Rockii and Gansu Mudan - A Book Review
Will McLewin and Dezhong Chen Write about Chinese Tree Peonies
Jan 13, 2009
Tree peony enthusiasts and horticulturally taught gardeners will be interested in Peony Rockii and Gansu Mudan. Here Will McLewin and Dezhong Chen explore the history of tree peony discovery, growth and development in China. The impact by the Western botanical world is examined and attempts are made at laying to rest misinformation about past discoveries.
Technical Book On Chinese Tree Peonies
Peony Rockii and Gansu Mudan attempts to establish Gansu Mudan as the correct name of shrubby peonies, record the development of this plant group and argue for the separation of true wild species of Paeonia rockii plants from Gansu Mudan.
Based on first hand experiences by the authors, they offer reasons for use of the term Gansu Mudan for the Chinese tree peony. A discussion of scientific names, botanical nomenclature and Chinese words is included in the first half of the book. In the second half readers will find large colored photographs of Gansu Mudan cultivars, a reference index in English and Chinese and a list of cultivars with explanatory notes.
Another characteristic first appears on the cover where the authors’ names, one English and one Chinese, are written in the Western tradition. However, the Chinese names, inside the book, are written in the Chinese tradition. That is, the family name is first; given name is second.
History of Chinese Tree Peonies
McLewin and Chen intermingle the history of the tree peony in China with attempts to expose undocumented facts. The reader will find it helpful to know basic tree peony information in advance of reading this book.
Tree or shrubby peonies are also called mudan. One identifying mark of wild mudan is large purplish-black blotches on white-petal flowers. Although relatively recent in the United States, mudan have been familiar in China for centuries.
Peonies Called Joseph Rock
In Peony rockii and Gansu Mudan, a section called“’Rock’s Peony’ – The True Story” by Will McLewin and Chris Sanders, they trace the development of hybrid plants loosely known as a Rock’s peony. Here, they argue against the facts surrounding the discovery of wild tree peonies by Dr. Joseph Francis Rock and other plants collectors.
In one of many conclusions, McLewin and Sanders state that the cultivar name Paeonia ‘Joseph Rock’ is the only place Joseph Rock should be used. It describes a single-flowered tree peony clone propagated by Roy Klehm of Klehm’s Song Sparrow Perennial Farm and Nursery.
Will McLewin
Plantsman, Will McLewin is from Phedar Nursery near Stockport, England. The nursery specializes in Helleborous species, Gansu group peonies and mudan species.
McLewin was a mathematics lecturer at Manchester University and alpinist prior to working with plants. McLewin is author of In Monte Viso’s Horizon, 1991, and winner of the 1992 International Boardman-Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature.
Dezhong Chen
In 1967, Dezhong Chen began Peace Peony Nursery located southeast of Lanzhou, China. Peace Peony Nursery began by developing peonies and mudan for northwestern China’s climate.
Peace Peony Nursery was designated by the China Forestry Department as one of the largest plant nurseries in China. They have cultivated over 500 varieties obtaining national and international patents.
About Peony Rockii and Gansu Mudan
Title – Peony Rockii and Gansu Mudan, by Will McLewin and Dezhong Chen. 2006 Publisher - Wellesley-Cambridge Press; Pages 284. ISBN 0-9614088-3-9
Photographer book credits include Chen Fuhui, Coralie Chrstiani and Will McLewin.
Paintings are by artist Margaret Walty. Her work will remind readers of traditional Chinese paintings of peonies. The detailed plant features are botanically accurate and complement this technical book.
Permission received for all photos used in this article.
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