In China, the cultivated tree peony is known as the King of Flowers, while in ancient Greece the herbaceous peony was dubbed the Queen of Herbs—a reminder that the genus Paeonia has been one of the most important and popular groups of plants in the world for millennia, coveted in East and West alike for both its ornamental and medicinal purposes.

This, the second part of a three volume set monograph Peonies of the World, contains 356 colour photographs, taken from natural sites, covering all 32 species and 26 subspecies, accompanied with concise descriptions of morphology and distribution. The photographs illustrate the extraordinary variations of morphology and colour within individual populations and species.

Peonies of the World, Part II: Polymorphism and Diversity will be of enormous value to horticulturists and plant geneticists breeding new peony cultivars, and is destined to become the definitive guide to species for growers, gardeners and collectors.