Paeonia californica

Paeonia californica (California Peony or Wild Peony) is one of two species of Peony native to North America. It is endemic to southwest California, United States, where it grows on dry hillsides in the coastal sage scrub and chaparral communities of the coastal mountains of Southern and Central California, on the coastal slope of the mountains, from Monterey County southward. It is often seen as an understory plant among chaparral shrubs. Some authorities consider it a subspecies of Paeonia brownii which is found in the northern Sierra and Klamath mountains. It is not a rare species in the wild, but uncommon in gardens because it is very particular about conditions. It needs a dry summer dormancy, and normal garden watering will kill it.