Portuguese peony
Paeonia broteri
Family · Paeoniaceae · Irritating
ToxicProtected
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The Peninsula's largest wild flower, strong pink and the size of an open hand, endemic to Portugal and Spain. Finding one on a mountain trail is one of the best things spring gives.
Where it grows
Uplands · Oak woods · Scrubland
Also known asIberian peony
In flower
How to tell it
A solitary carmine-pink flower with a centre packed with yellow stamens. Large divided leaves, bluish beneath. In autumn the fruits open to show black and red seeds in the same pod.
What it is confused with
No dangerous lookalikes known in the Iberian Peninsula.
What it is for
None. It was gathered for centuries as a medicinal and ornamental plant, and that gathering is why it is rare today. All parts are toxic.
The law says
A protected species, Iberian endemic and in decline. Do not pick the flower or dig up the root.