A Study on Characters Variation of Different Flower Color Groups of Paeonia delavayi(Paeoniaceae)

Paeonia delavayi has great value in P.suffruticosa new variety breeding because of its profuse flower color.Ten different flower color groups of P.delavayi were investigated and studied,based on 13 quantitative characters and 5 qualitative characters.Morphological variation patterns and differentiation levels among different groups were revealed,providing data and evidence for cross breeding and systematics study.The results showed that:(1)there was no flower color group which all its flower components was in the same color;(2)Flowers of green color group had green stigma exclusively which might imply the linkage relationship between them.Furthermore,green color group was unique by its erect flowers,green filaments,and green anthers;(3)the average variation coefficient of 13 quantitative characters of 10 groups ranged from 32.80% to 50.56%,which indicated that the character stability of individual plants within group were quite different from each other;(4)the mean phenotypic differentiation coefficient of 10 groups was 42.25%,which indicated that the phenotypic differentiation was distinguished among different color groups;(5)it was suggested that P.delavayi should have been originated from the areas of Shangri-la and Deqin of Yunnan Province according to its evolutionary trend of flower color.