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Paeonia daurica Andrews

Flora Europaea treats this species as a synonym of Paeonia mascula (L.) Mill. subsp. triternata (Pall. ex DC.) Stearn & P.H.Davis

A Krym species with a disjunct group of populations in Romania.

perennial, H-G

? Origanetalia

This species is a Crimean / Krym element which has an isolated group of small populations in the Curvature / Buzau Subcarpathians posing a very interesting biogeographical problem. The species was found in the region for the first time in 1948 by C. Dobrescu. Since then a few other small populations were described in other places of the same area. Dr. Negrean Gavrila and Valentin Mihai studied a new population from Istrita Hill in 2013. The photographs below were taken from this population. The species is clearly distinct from its close relative Paeonia banatica Rochel especially by the configuration, texture and color of the leaves. A lot of photographs with this species from Krym can be seen here .

The species was mentioned also from Mehedinti Plateau / Iron Gates area in south-western Romania by Roman, N. (1974) - Flora si vegetatia din sudul Podisului Mehedinti, Ed. Academiei RSR, at p. 35 as being present "in clearings and glades on Marcopriciu Hill up to Drumul Hotesc". Also in the table. 20 p. 190 from the same work the species is mentioned from 6 releves in Orno-Quercetum praemoessicum subass. coryletosum colurnae at 200-300 m asl which were sampled on Dohomna ridge between Dohomna and Vodita valleys and up to the headwaters of Vodita valley (see p. 190). In regarding this region which is far away from Buzau Subcarpathians and rather close to the populations of Paeonia banatica Rochel from Locva Mountains / Danube valley Bazias-Divici area one can expect Paeonia banatica to be present here. Unfortunately an attempt made in 2013 by Amalia Dumbrava (the biologist of Iron Gates Natural Park), Alexandru Badarau and student Ioana Bujor to find again these populations from Mehedinti Plateau failed, despite the fact that Marcopriciu hill, Dohamna ridge and Vodita valley easily can be located on the maps of the region.

In regarding the chorology of this species in Buzau Subcarpathians, dr. Adrian Oprea made a synthesis:

1. Paeonia triternata Pall. ex DC. (syn. P. daurica Andrews) was identified for the first time in Romanian flora by dr. C. Dobrescu in 1948 near the village Salcia, Buzau county on Plaiul Saratii ridge, 400 m asl and published in Dobrescu, C. (1948) - Une nuvelle station de Paeonia triternata Pall. en Roumanie. Ann. Sci. de l'Univ. de Jassy, Second Sec. 31: 3-5 (plus a plate).

2. Later it was found near Ciolanu Monastery on Poiana Rotunda hill (Popova-Cucu A. et al. (1981) - Rezervatiile naturale din Judetul Buzau. Terra, 2: 10-29)

3. Other populations were found in the same region at Gura Saratii, Monteorul, Ciuhoiul forest, Istrita Hill, Tisau on Niscovului valley (Dihoru Gh., Negrean G. (2009) - Cartea rosie a plantelor vasculare din Romania. Bucuresti, Edit. Acad. Romane).

Istrita Hill, Buzau Subcarpathians , Buzau county, April 2013.

Valentin Mihai, mihai.valentin@yahoo.com