Hello Alain,
I can get you images of P. mascula bodurii (here’s one below, showing some details of the flower). Your best bet to get the other images are in the following two facebook groups.
Paeonia species (only species)
Species paeonia
Both are ‘private’ groups but anyone with an interest in peony species is welcome to join. I usually post in the first group as there is some overlap (of members and images). I would have to look it up, but I think the ‘group rules’ even state that you can use the images so long as you give a reference to the photographer and the facebook group. Otherwise it’s easy to ask of course, I’ve done that a few times to get images for this site as well.
P. sterniana is probably nowhere, only Carsten Burkhardt has some images of it (he’s on the site, you could contact him @paeon ). The botanic garden of Edinburgh grows it, but it is not doing well and hasn’t flowered for years. They have sent out seeds several years ago. Alas, they couldn’t tell me the names of the private persons that received the seeds due to privacy reasons. And the few commercial/educational ones that tried it and for which I did get names, didn’t have success with it. As you’re from France, perhaps you know Eric Schmitt, who wrote a series about the peony species:
LES PIVOINES ÉTUDE SYSTÉMATIQUE DU GENRE PAEONIA L. Plantes de Montagne et de Rocaille Société des Amateurs de Jardins Alpin 1996-2000
He also received some seeds of sterniana and I’ve tried to contact him, but could not locate him. Perhaps you are better acquainted with garden specialists in your country. I think he is somehow connected with the botanic garden of Lyon.
You are missing out on P. arietina ssp arasicola probably, though that one is nowhere documented except for some obscure Turkish literature. I have a small plant growing of it, perhaps it will flower next year. P. wendelboi and archibaldii are indeed the only other ones that I’ve read about. There are some doubts that P. daurica is well described in Hong’s work, I’ve seen daurica from the Crimean peninsula with wavy leaflets and daurica classified as the same with other leaflets, but I’m no specialist. Better ask in the facebook groups mentioned before, many Russians there.
I think the other peonies you mention I’ve seen images already in those facebook groups, even P. daurica ssp velebitensis.
Bonne chance!
Koen
Belgium/Belgique
