Pere Maire

Charles Maries

On April 22, 2024 I posted a blog on Charles Maries (1851-1902) who was employed as a plant hunter in Japan and China for the old Veitch Nursery firm. I confessed that I grew a Mhonia mairei that I long assumed was named for Charles Maries, but further investigation yielded no connection between the Mahonia and the Veitch collector. I ended the blog hoping that a reader could set me straight, but no smarty-pants came forward.

Paeonia mairei

Paeonia mairei

Finally, I think the mystery was solved when I was doing a little Paeonia research. I was enlightened to remember that I had seen a P. mairei at the Rhododendron Species Botanic Garden, a rare plant that Director Steve Hootman collected himself in 1995 "while exploring a deep ravine full of wonderous plants…at the Daliang Shan of southern Sichuan." Both the Paeonia and Mahonia were named in honor of the French missionary Pere Edouard-Ernest Maire who discovered it in 1913 in northeastern Yunnan. I'll copy the Cultivation notes found in Wikipedia: "Paeonia mairei has only recently become available as an ornamental outside of China. It is reported to be the first of the herbaceous peonies to bloom, and recover well from morning frost."

Edouard Ernest Maire

Maire (1848-1932) was a French missionary and plant collector (yet another) in China, and was promoted to Pro-Vicar Apostolic of Yunnan. Converting the Chinese heathens to Christianity seems like a fool's errand in hind-sight, but apparently with sufficient time on their hands the Servants of God were able to collect flora and fauna to send back to French scientific institutions. Adrien Franchet was the botanist in the right place at the right time at the Paris Museum of Natural History, and he made a distinguished career by processing the thousands of specimens sent from the likes of Armand David, Paul Farges, Jean Marie Delavay, Edouard Maire and others. Maire was epithetically honored with Nemachris mairei, Primula mairei, Sedum mairei, Epipactis mairei, Alnus mairei and Fargesia mairei in addition to the Paeonia and Mahonia that bear his name.

Stella Maris

There is scant information on Father Maire, whether or not he converted anyone in his 60 years of service, but we can certainly thank him for some wonderful plant discoveries. His body rests in peace, we hope, in Yunnan, China. Maire's name is Irish, where the "i" comes before the "r," and it is pronounced "Mer-ha," where the "ha" is barely perceptible. The name originates from the Latinized Stella Maris for "Star of the Sea," as the Virgin Mary provides a guiding light and is a calmer of storms. Stella Maris also refers to the North Star which aids the Sailor's navigation because it remains fixed in the sky. Similarly, Mary remains firm in heaven helping to guide souls and offering her protection.