Status

species

1946

Stern

1995

Cullen & Heywood in Tutin: Flora Europaea 2nd Ed.

9. P. coriacea Boiss., Elenchus 7 (1838). Like 8(a) but stems 50-100 cm; leaves coriaceous; follicles 2(3), somewhat longer (3-5-4-5 cm), glabrous, with the apex attenuate into the stigma. S. Spain; Corse, Sardegna. Co Hs Sa.

Spain

Andalucia

Sierra Nevada

type: wild collected peony

Fuchs:

description of natural habitats & climatic conditions:

Mohamed ALIFRIQUI (2002)

Paeonia coriacea : In the recent Flora of Morocco its considered in a subpecies of P. mascula, so it name is Paeonia mascula (L.) Miller subsp. coriacea (Boiss.) Malagarriga. Its a plant of the dense and humid forest of Holm Oak (Quercus ilex), decideous Oak (Quercus canariensis) and Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica), essentially in the Middle Atlas and the Rif mountains in the north of Morocco and in some small situation in the High Atlas. The rainfall are between 800 to 1500 mm/year, temperature (lowest in winter, from -5 to +3 °c, and highest in summer, from 15 to 25 °c). The soil in this area are very rich and very deep, all of time there are a brown forest soil (characteristic of the humid mediterranean region), in french (sol brun forestier). Paeonia prefer the shadow of the trees forest. In the phytosociological classification, Paeonia is a good characteristic of the humid forest of Quercus and cedar.

Markus Staudinger

I just tell what I know about this species, but tomorrow I will ask Manfred Finkh, who made his thesis in forests with P. coriacea. I think he can tell you about the ecology of this species in greater detail. He has also some vegetation relevées. The taxonomy of this species is rather confusing and as far as I know, the recent name is Paeonia mascula subsp. coriacea (Boiss.) Malagarriga.

The ones I have seen in the Altas Moyenne grew in a rather moist Cedrus atlantica forest in rather dense shadow with Ilex aquifolium and Quercus faginea subsp. baetica on a calcareous hill. It is rather common in this forests and makes sometimes up to 25 % of the understorey plants.

Manfred Finckh

I have seen Paeonia coriacea in mixed Quercus canariensis - Cedrus atlantica forests in middle altitudes of the Middle Atlas in Marocco. Paeonia grows there in rather dark sites with humid microclimate. There exists an own phytosociological alliance Paeonia-Cedrion atlanticae described by Barbero, Quezel & Rivas- Martinez in 1981, so these Cedar Forests seem to be the typical habitat of Paeonia. The soils of the region where i found Paeonia have been calcareous soils, with a deep dark/humous A-horizon. The climatic conditions correespond to the altitudinal belts which are classified as the upper supra-mediterraneen belt and specially the montagnard-mediterraneen belt. The french call it as well "bioclimat subhumide a hiver froid", which means a mediterranean type climate, winter rain, snow in winter time, a dry summer period.

Carsten Burkhardt's Web Project Paeonia - The Peony Database

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