About Paeonia officinalis L.
Paeonia officinalis L., commonly known as the common peony, is a herbaceous perennial plant. It reaches 60–70 cm (24–28 in) in both height and width. Its leaves are divided into 9 leaflets, and it produces bowl-shaped deep pink or deep red flowers that measure 10–13 cm (4–5 in) in diameter. Flowers bloom in late spring, which corresponds to May in the Northern Hemisphere. The common peony is native to Europe. Its confirmed native range includes Spain, northern Portugal, southern France, Italy, Switzerland, western Romania, and the Balkan peninsula, with a possible native presence in northern Greece, as documented by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 1998, Lupo Osti 2006, Aghababian 2011, and GRIN 2014. It is widely cultivated in other regions outside its native range and is considered a native endemic of Europe. Six subspecies of Paeonia officinalis are currently known. Paeonia officinalis subsp. arietina ((G. Anderson) N. G. Passal.) is native to Italy, Albania, and the Northern Caucasus. Paeonia officinalis subsp. banatica ((Rochel) Soó) is native to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Romania, and Serbia. Paeonia officinalis subsp. huthii A. Soldano is native to southeast France and northwest Italy. Paeonia officinalis subsp. italica N. G. Passal. & Bernardo is native to Italy. Paeonia officinalis subsp. microcarpa (Boiss. & Reuter) Nyman, synonymized as P. humilis, is native to northeast Portugal (including the Estrela, Aire e Candeeiros, and Montejunto mountain ranges), Spain, and southern France. Paeonia officinalis subsp. officinalis is native to Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, and Albania; it has been introduced to Kentucky, Massachusetts, Vermont, and West Virginia in the United States, and to Ontario in Canada.
