Paeoniaceae

P. mascula (L.) Miller, Gard. Dict. No. 1(1768). Syn: P. officinalis var. mascula L.,Sp. Pl. 530(1753).
Leaves simply biternate, or with some leaflets further divided, thus with 9-16 narrowly to broadly elliptic segments, glabrous to pilose beneath. Flowers 8-14 cm across, petals red. Follicles 3-5, 2-4 cm, white-tomentose, with a truncate apex and sessile stigma. - A complex species, of which 2 subspecies occur in Turkey:
1. Leaves pilose beneath with 12-16 segments subsp. arietina
1. Leaves glabrous or sparsely pilose beneath with 9-10(-12) segments, subsp. mascula
subsp. arietina (Anders.) Cullen & Heywood in Feddes Rep. 69: 35 (1964). Syn: P. arietina Anders. in Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. 12: 275 (1818); P. peregrina sensu Boiss., Fl. Or. 1: 97 (1867) non Miller; P. russii sensu Hal., Consp. Fl. Graec. 1: 35 (1901) non Biv. I?: Stern, Study of Paeonia 81-32 (1946). Ft. 6-7. Scrub, thickets, rocky slopes, 1000-2000 m.
Described from plants cultivated in Britain.
N. & Inner Anatolia, Mysia, Islands. A5 Amasya: Mersifon, Maniss.! A7 Gümüşane: Gümüşane, Bourgeau 5! A8 Gümüşane: S foot of Soğanlı Da., 1700 m, D. 31990! Trabzon: between Bayburt and Rize, 1800 m. Fıırse & Synge 805! Bl Balikesir: Ida (Kaz Da.), Sint. 1883: 459! B5 Yozgat: Yozgat, Curtis 116! B7 Tunceli: Pülümür to Seiepur, 1900 m, D. 29299! B8 Elazığ: 32 km W of Bingöl, D. 24809! B9 Bitlis: Karz Da., 2000 m, D. 24556! Is.: Samos, Rech. 3389.
Italy, Balkan Peninsula. The two subspecies show much less morphological overlap in Turkey than they do in the Balkans, where many specimens cannot be assigned with certainty to either. Subsp. arietina is found mainly in the less arid parts of the Ir.-Tur. region, and is the commonest peony in Turkey.