Growing at the edges and in openings of Abies forests, or in sparse Abies forests, on limestones, at an altitude of 1,100—1,500 m. Found only in the mountains Parnassos and Elikonas (Helicon) of Greece.
The most remarkable characters of Paeonia parnassica are its very dark purple petals and purple anthers, which distinguish it from P. arietina. It has fewer leaflets/leaf segments (9—15, rarely up to 25) than P. arietina (11-25, rarely up to 32).
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