This southern European species with large showy pink to red flowers is widely cultivated and sometimes persists. A coll. from BELL (BEREA) is reported to come from a spontaneous plant on an abandoned mine, but origin from an old homesite is possible. The related species, P. laetiflora Pallas, with white, pink or red flowers, can also persist at old home sites (with colls. from LYON, MADI, OLDH, TRIG); the "Krinkled White" cultivar is becoming popular in FAYE. Neither of these species are generally reported to naturalize in eastern North America (F, Cr, W; FNA 8). However, they have been mapped by K and PL as wild plants in some northeastern regions. Varied hybrids involving these two species and others have been developed in cultivation. Paeonia is the only genus in Paeniaceae, a family that appears now to belong in Saxifragales. However, their large flowers have superficial similarities to some Ranunculales, Dilleniales and other taxa. The native range of Paeonia is concentrated in Mediterranean or other semi-arid regions of the Northern Hemisphere (FNA 8; APG 2024).