Lady Hortense

Rousseau, Angers Nursery Catalogue, 1842-1842, p.3: Pale pink. Berlèse, 1845, Monographie, ed.3, p.175: Leaves of different forms from 5 cm x 4 cm to 9 cm x 6 cm, hori­zontal, almost flat, serrations sharp, mid-green; buds ovate, acuminate in autumn and flat­tened in spring, solid, scales greenish at the base, blackish at the apex. Flower full, peony form, 9-10 cm across, vivid cherry-red with nuances similar to Preston Eclipse. Exterior petals in 4 rows of average size, rounded, thin, transparent, notched, close set and reflexed, regularly imbricated; those of the centre forming a body somewhat broad, upright, serried, small and strap-like, dark red like the first. Orthographic errors: ‘Lady Hortence’, ‘Lady Hortance’.