Clusius' Peony

Paeonia clusii is a perennial, herbaceous plant of 25–50 cm high. Both diploid (2n=10) and tetraploid (2n=20) specimens have been found.

Root, stems and leaves. The main roots are slightly tuberous, up to 2.5 cm wide, with thinner carrot-shaped side roots. The stems are mostly tinged purple, with several (up to nine) scales at their base. Leaves are split into three sets of leaflets, themselves further divided into twenty three to forty eight, 2.5–4.5 cm wide, ovate to lanceolate (subspecies rhodia) or to ninety five lanceolate to linear, 0.5–3.3 cm wide, segments (in the typical subspecies). The leaf is mostly hairless, but sometimes the lower surface carries a few hairs.

Flower, fruit and seed. The flowers are set individually at the tip of the stems, and are subtended by one or two bracts that look like small segmented leaves. There are three or four rounded sepals, green but purple around the margin, and with a rounded tip. Within are seven white or pink petals of 4–5 cm long and 2.5–4 cm wide. The many stamens consist of purple filaments topped by yellow anthers. The disk that encircle the carpels is 0.5–1 mm high and covered in soft hair. Two to four (or rarely only one) red carpels are covered in soft, white, 2–2.5 mm long hairs and topped by an almost seated flattened, recurving, red stigma 1.5–2 mm wide. …

The typical subspecies grows in maquis on limestone between 200–1900 m elevation. Subspecies rhodia occurs as undergrowth of pines at an elevation of 350–850 m.

Rhodes' peony likes well-drained, loamy soil or compost. It's hardy in the UK, but because it starts growing in late winter the leaves may be damaged by frosts. As can be expected from a plant from the Mediterranean, they suffer from wet soil.

Paeonia clusii was named in honor of the Dutch botanist Carolus Clusius, who was the first to write about a white flowered peony from Crete, already in 1601.