Paeonia rotundiloba (D. Y. Hong) D. Y. Hong: A new status in tree peonies (Paeoniaceae)

Abstract Paeonia decomposita Hand.‐Mazz. subsp. rotundiloba D. Y. Hong is here raised to the specific rank, P. rotundiloba (D. Y. Hong) D. Y. Hong, based on its distinctiveness of four diagnostic characters: number of carpels; height of disk; number of leaflets of the lower leaves, and shape of the terminal leaflets; and unpublished molecular data. Paeonia rotundiloba differs distinctly from P. decomposita in having carpels mostly 3, less often 2 or 4, very rarely 5 (vs. almost always 5, very occasionally 4 or 3), disk 8–15 mm high (vs. 4–9.6 mm), leaflets mostly 19–39 (vs. 29–63) in number, and ratio of length to width of the terminal leaflets 1.09–1.93 (vs. 1.81–2.99).