Petals in shades of red, pnk and white, anther filaments red.  Sometimes double-flowered.   The basal leaves are much divided, into c. 17-30 segments.

The Chinese Peony Paeonia lactiflora and its varieties may occasioanlly become naturalised outside gardens.

A garden escape often near to habitation, on road verge or waste ground

Flowers in May or June.

Perennial.

Widespread but occasional as an escape from cultivation in Britain.

Infrequent or under recorded in Leicestershire and Rutland. It was not recorded in the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire, the first record coming from Groby Quarry in 1997.