Paeonia ridleyi Z. L. Dai & T. Hong; P. suffruticosa Andrews var. qiui (Y. L. Pei & D. Y. Hong) Halda.

Shrubs to 1.2 m tall. Roots attenuate toward tip. Stems gray or brown-gray, longitudinally striate. Proximal leaves 2-ternate; leaflets adaxially often reddish, ovate or ovate-orbicular, mostly entire, sometimes terminal ones shallowly 3-lobed, 6.5--8.2 × 3--6.5 cm, abaxially densely villous at axils of major veins, adaxially glabrous, base rounded, apex obtuse or acute. Flowers solitary, terminal, single, 8--12 cm wide. Petals 5--9, spreading, pink or pale pink, often with a red spot at base, 3.5--5.5 × 2--3.1 cm. Filaments pale pink to pink; anthers yellow. Disc wholly enveloping carpels, red-purple, leathery. Carpels 5, densely tomentose. Stigmas red. Follicles densely brown-yellow tomentose. Seeds black, glossy, ovoid, 0.6--0.8 × 0.5--0.7 cm. Fl. Apr--May, fr. Jul--Aug.

Paeonia ´ baokangensis Z. L. Dai & T. Hong (Bull. Bot. Res., Harbin 17: 2. 1997) was treated as a hybrid between P. qiui and P. rockii by Hong and Pan (Nordic J. Bot. 19: 297. 1999). The hybrid plants are known only in cultivation in W Hubei (Baokang Xian), where they occur with both parents.

* Deciduous broad-leaved forests, secondary forests, sunny grassy slopes, limestone cliffs, sometimes cultivated; 1000--2200 m. W Henan (Xixia Xian), W Hubei (Baokang Xian, Shennongjia Linqu).