(2003)  Page(s) 138.  
 
According to our observations in the fiels and in the herbaria....Paeonia in the Caucasus may be classified clearly into three major groups as follows:
1 Roots fusiformly thickened; leaflets/segments of lower leaves more than 70 in number, narrow-lanceolate to filiform, less than 1.5 cm wide
2 Leaflets/segments of lower leaves with segments less than 100 in number, narrow-lanceolate ......1 Intermedia group.
2 Leaflets/segments of lower leaves more than 130 in number, linear to filiform..... 2 Tenuifolia group.
2 Roots carrot-shaped; leaflets of lower leaves mostly 9, rarely 10-19; leaflets ovate, oblong or obovate, over 3 cm wide......3 Daurica group.

(2003)  Page(s) 144-145.  
 
...the P. daurica complex in the Caucasus has notable polymorphism, and no distinct differences have been found between the populations. It is thus considered that the group has differentiated only at the stage of geographical races, and is better treated as a single species with five subspecies. Perennials. Roots carrot-like, attenuate downwards. Lower leaves usually biternate with nine leaflets, occasionally triternate, with up to 19 leaflets; leaflets entire or sometimes bifid, obovate, oblong, wide-elliptic, sometimes undulate, apex round, mucronate, acute or shortly acuminate, glabrous above, glabrous or sparsely to densely villose or pilose, or sparsely to rather densely puberulous beneath, 4.8–11.5 x 8.1–17.1 cm. Flowers solitary and terminal; bracts 0–2; sepals 2–3, green; petals 5–8, white, pale yellow, yellow, yellow with a red spot at base or with red periphery, rose, red, or purple-red; filaments purple; carpels 1–5, glabrous or sparsely to densely tomentose; styles nearly absent. The distribution pattern of the five subspecies is as follows: ssp. coriifolia is found below 1000 m in the western part of the Caucasus (including the Transcaucasus), while the other four occur at subalpine and alpine zones at altitudes of (800) 1000–2300 m. They are vertically vicarious with ssp. coriifolia, but allopatric with ssp. wittmanniana in the north-west, ssp. mlokosewitschii in the north-east. ssp. tomentosa in the south-east, and ssp. macrophylla in the south-west.

(2003)  Page(s) 137.  
 
Georgia: Kartli, Igoeti, 630 m Sandstones, deciduous forest gentle NW slope, thick soil, P. caucasica (= P. daurica ssp.coriifolia)

Georgia: Borjomi, National Park, 870 m Volcanic rock, N. slope, mixed conifer and deciduous broad-leaved forest... The type locality of P. ruprechtiana (= P. triternata f. coriifolia = P. daurica ssp. coriifolia>)

Russia: Krasnodar, E of Klyuch, 400 m Sandstone, S. and N. slope, deciduous forest....P. caucasica (= P. daurica ssp. coriifolia)

(2003)  Page(s) 145.  
 
KEY TO SUBSPECIES OF P. DAURICA
1 Leaflets villose and (or) pilose on lower surface or glabrous; oblong or elliptic-oblong; apex rounded, acute to acuminate.
2 Petals red; leaflets glabrous on both sides or sparsely villose on lower side ..........ssp. coriifolia (Rupr.) D. Y. Hong

Paeonia daurica ssp. coriifolia (Ruprecht) D. Y.Hong, stat. nov. = Paeonia triternata f. coriifolia Ruprecht, in Mem. Acad. Imper. Sci. St.-Petersb. ser. 7.15(2): 46. 1869. P. corallina ssp. triternata var. coriifolia (Rupr.) Busch, Fl. Caucas. Crit. 3(3): 12, 1901....
Paeonia corallina var. caucasica Schipczinsky in Notul. Syst. Herb. Hort. Bot. Petrop. 2: 45. 1921...
Paeonia triternata auct. non Pall. ex. DC: Ruprecht, in Mem. Acad. Imper. Sci. St. Petersb. ser. 7. 15(2) (Fl. Caucas.)...

This subspecies is found at altitudes below 1000 m in western and north-western Caucasus and grows in deciduous forests dominated by Quercus, Fagus, Ulmus, Acer and Fraxinus or in mixed deciduous broad-leaved and conifer forests dominated by Picea, Fagus and Quercus. It is found on a wide range of sandstone, limestone and volcanic rocks, 2n = 10.... It differs from the other subspecies in having red petals and glabrous or sparsely villose leaflets.

(2003)  Page(s) 145.  
 
KEY TO SUBSPECIES OF P. DAURICA
1 Leaflets villose and (or) pilose on lower surface or glabrous; oblong or elliptic-oblong; apex rounded, acute to acuminate.
2 Petals yellow or yellowish white, but sometimes red at periphery or with a red spot at
base: leaflets always villose or pilose.
3 Carpels and follicles glabrous or nearly glabrous
5 Leaflets mostly densely villose or pilose and thus greyish on lower surface..............ssp. macrophylla (Albow) D. Y. Hong

(2003)  Page(s) 137.  
 
Georgia: Borjomi, Bakuriani, 1700 Volcanic rocks, N. slope, pure Fagus forest, ..S. slope, Picea orientalis forest and glade..The type locality of P. steveniana (= P. daurica ssp. macrophylla)

Georgia: Adjaria, Machuhtseti, 1160 m NE. slope, Fagus forest ....The type locality of P. macrophylla (= P. daurica ssp. macrophylla)

(2003)  Page(s) 147-148.  Includes photo(s).
 
Paeonia daurica ssp. macrophylla (Albow) D. Y. Hong. stat. nov. = Paeonia corallina var. wittmanniana f. macrophylla Albow, Prodr. Fl. Colchicae. 15. 1895. Paeonia macrophylla (Albow) Lomakin in Trud Tiflis Bot. Sada, 2: 282, 1897;.....Paeonia wittmanniana Steven in Bull. Soc. Nat. Moss. 21(3): 275. 1848;.....Paeonia steveniana Kemularia-Nathadze in Trud Tbilisi Bot. Inst. 21: 15. 1961. TYPE: The same as that of Steven’s wittmanniana.
This subspecies was established as a new taxon by Albow (1895) and raised to specific rank by Lomakin (1897) on the basis of larger leaflets. The entity is characterized by larger leaflets and glabrous carpels. However, glabrous carpels also occur in the subspecies wittmanniana and Figure 10 shows that the larger leaflets are only part of the continuous variation of leaflets in size in the complex. We have not found any other character which distinguishes it from the others. The subspecies is confined to the high mountainous area in south-western Georgia (Adjaria, Guria, south Imereti, south-west Kartli and Meskheti) and in north-eastern Turkey at altitudes from (800) 1200 to 2200 m. It grows in deciduous forests or mixed conifer and deciduous broad-leaved forests and also in glades, with no specific soil preference. This subspecies is a tetraploid with the chromosome number 2n = 20..

(2003)  Page(s) 145.  
 
KEY TO SUBSPECIES OF P. DAURICA
1 Leaflets puberulous on the lower surface or glabrous; obovate; apex rounded or obtuse, often with a short mucro ..........ssp. mlokosewitschii (Lomakin) D. Y. Hong

(2003)  Page(s) 146.  
 
Paeonia daurica ssp. mlokosewitschii (Lomakin) D. Y. Hong , stat. nov. = Paeonia mlokosewitschii Lomakin in Trud Tiflis Bot. Sada 2: 282, 1897...Among the five subspecies of P. daurica, ssp. mlokosewitschii is relatively distinct; its leaflets are usually obovate with rounded but mucronate apex, mostly sparsely or rather densely puberulous, but sometimes glabrous. The subspecies is found so far only in eastern Georgia, north-western Azerbaijan and the adjacent region of Russia. It grows in deciduous forests dominated by Fagus, Quercus, Ulmus, Castanea and Acer, 2n = 10.

(2003)  Page(s) 137.  
 
Georgia: Lagodekhi, 1040 m S. slope, deciduous forest ...The type locality of both
P. mlokosewitschii and P. lagodekhiana (= P. daurica ssp. mlokosewitschii)