The genus Paeonia is a famous group of plants that has been culturally significant in both the East and West for millenia and is extensively cultivated for both ornamental and medicinal purposes. The cultivated tree peony is known as "The King of Flowers" in Chna and the herbaceous peony was known as "The Queen of Herbs" in ancient Greece. This book contains a comprehensive taxonomic revision of the genus based on extensive field observations, population sampling, examination of a large quantity of specimens (including type specimens) and statistic analysis of characters.

Recognition of 32 species in the book is a result of substantial taxonimic revision. The book will satisfy readers not only with the taxonomy of Paeonia, description and distribution, and other biological aspects of each species, but also with the methodology and principles, on which the taxonomic revision was based. A must have book for both plant taxonomists and horticulturists.