Paeonia lutea Delavay ex Franchet var. ludlowii Stern & Taylor, J. Roy. Hort. Soc. 76: 217. 1951; P. delavayi subsp. ludlowii (Stern & Taylor) B. A. Shen.

Shrubs caespitose, to 3.5 m tall, glabrous throughout. Roots attenuate toward tip. Turions absent. Stems gray, to 4 cm in diam. Proximal leaves 2-ternate; leaflets subsessile, 6--12 × 5--13 cm, usually 3-segmented almost to base, base often decurrent; segments 4--9 × 1.5--4 cm, mostly 3-lobed to middle; lobes 2--5 × 0.5--1.5 cm, margin entire or 1- or 2-toothed; segments, lobes, and teeth all acuminate at apex. Flowers 3 or 4 per shoot, axillary, ± pendulous, single, 10--12 cm wide; pedicel 5--9 cm. Bracts 4 or 5, lanceolate. Sepals 3--5, green, orbicular, 1.5--2.5 × 1.5--2.5 cm, apex rounded, acute, or caudate. Petals spreading, pure yellow, obovate, 5--5.5 × 2.5--3.5 cm, apex rounded. Filaments yellow, 1.1--1.5 cm; anthers yellow, ca. 4 mm. Disc yellow, ca. 1 mm high, dentate. Carpel 1(or 2), glabrous. Stigmas yellow. Follicles cylindric, 4.7--7 × 2--3.3 cm. Seeds dark brown, globose, ca. 1.3 cm in diam. Fl. May, fr. Aug. 2n = 10*.

* Sparse forests, woods, thickets; 2900--3500 m. SE Xizang.