A field of peonies

Ask about this tour

The flowering of peonies

Remarkable flowers in all aspects
One of the best locations in Andalucía
Ethnobotany tour

Gaucín / Ronda / Marbella

Spring

Half day of observation

Private groups

Paeonia flowers in Serranía de Ronda

Admiring the peony (Paeonia broteri) is one of the most beautiful botanical spectacles of the Serranía de Ronda. It is a real delight to walk through a forest of oaks and discover, after a bend in the path, a field full of peonies in full bloom.

Peonies

In Andalusia, peonies bloom between April and May, very famous flowers! Known and appreciated since ancient times and also in Eastern cultures for their ornamental and medicinal character, they are very popular with gardeners who have selected many varieties.

Mediterranean limestone mountain

They grow spontaneously in the limestone mountains of the Mediterranean, where they are not rare but very localized. Three species appear in the Andalusian flora (Paeonia broteri, P. coriacea, P. officinalis). These wild plants have nothing to envy to their domesticated gardening sisters, being very large and colorful.

A very unique flower

The Paeoniaceae family is very particular, with only one genus and about 40 species distributed mainly in Europe and Asia. Solitary flowers, with 5 to 10 large petals and tissue paper texture. Radial symmetry like a rose. Numerous yellow stamens surround 3-5 independent female parts (the carpels). Perennial plants that resprout each spring from their root system.

Fruit primitive

The fruit is a set of follicles, present in families considered primitive (magnolias, peonies, buttercups). Type of dry fruit (leathery outer membrane, poorly developed and poorly hydrated), with several seeds inside, released along a single zone of rupture (ventral suture). Each of the follicles originates from one of the carpels.