P. californica (Nutt. Ex Torr. & Gray, 1838)[Nutt. ex Torrey, J. & Gray, A., A Flora of North America, vol. 1, 1838, p. 41] |
| First Description: | P. californica (Nutt. Ex Torr. & Gray, 1838) |
| P. brownii var. californica (Lynch, R. I., 1890) P. brownii subsp. californica (Halda, 1997) |
P. californica (Flower) Photo: Juerg Plodeck (Basel, May 2023), © Copyright Juerg Plodeck 2023 [ click on image for full image ] |
| Plant: | Ploidy: | 2n=10 |
| Growth Type: | herbaceous / perennial | |
| Height: | 40-70cm | |
| Roots: | slightly fusiform-thickened, up to 3cm in diameter; caudex (rhizomes) up to 8cm long | |
| others: | stem up to 1.2cm in diameter, usually with sterile or fertile branches; totally glabrous |
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| Leaves: | # segmentation: | 33 - 78 |
| others: | lower leaves ternate, very occasionally nearly biternate; leaflets 3, each leaflet with several segments, each segment usually with two or several lobes, segments and/or lobes 33-78 in total; segments 3-8cm long, 0.4-2.0cm wide; lobes linear to lanceolate, usually acute, sometimes mucronate at the apex, 0.2-3.0cm long, 0.2-1.2cm wide |
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| Flowers: | Season: | January to May, but mostly in March and April |
| # flowers/stem: | usually several, up to 6 on a stem, pendent | |
| Bracts: | involucrate bracts usually 1 or 2, leaf-like | |
| Sepals: | 3 or 4, rounded, green or green but purple at the periphery, or purple, 1.2-2.0cm long, 1.2-2.0cm wide, as large as , or slightly smaller than petals |
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| Petals: | 6-8, entire, purple, dull dark red, dark purple red, or brownish purple, 1.2-2.2cm long, 1.0-2.0cm wide |
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| Flower Colour: | purple, dull dark red, dark purple red, or brownish purple | |
| Filaments: | yellow | |
| Anthers: | yellow | |
| Disk: | fleshy, yellow, dentate, teeth variable in shape, 2.5-6mm high | |
| others: | ||
| Fruit: | Season: | June to July |
| # of Carpells: | 3, less frequently 2 | |
| Carpell: | ||
| Style / Stigma: | stigmas sessile, 3mm long, 2mm wide, horizontal | |
| Follicles / Ovary / Ovules: | follicles cylindrical, 2.5-4.2cm long, 1.1-1.7cm in diameter | |
| Seeds: | seeds oblong black, 10-12mm long, 5.5-6mm in diameter | |
| Habitat: | Location: | growing mostly in chaparral, or in openings or at the edges of chaparral and oak woods, from coastal areas at 30m in altitute to mountain areas up to 1200m |
| Soil: | it prefers dry granite soil | |
| Geogr. Distr.: | distributed in the northern-most Baja California of Mexico and S California of the USA | |
| Countries: | USA, Mexico | |
| Common Names: | California peony wild peony |
P. californica (entire plant) Photo: Juerg Plodeck (Basel, May 2023), © Copyright Juerg Plodeck 2023 [ click on image for full image ] |
P. californica (single leave from top) Photo: Juerg Plodeck (Basel, May 2023), © Copyright Juerg Plodeck 2023 [ click on image for full image ] |
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P. californica (Flower) Photo: Juerg Plodeck (Basel, May 2023), © Copyright Juerg Plodeck 2023 [ click on image for full image ] |
P. californica (Fruit / Seeds) Photo: Juerg Plodeck (Basel, May 2023), © Copyright Juerg Plodeck 2023 [ click on image for full image ] |