Abstract: All the 6 species in Moutan subsect. Vaginatae, originating in China, have a great effect on cultural Paeonia suffruticosa in China, Japan, America and Europe. On the bases of the morphological comparison, combined with the evidences of pollen, chromosome, protein and DNA studies, the authors put forward to a possible phylogenetic pathways as follow:(1) Paonia qiui→P. yinpingmudan→P. jishanensis→P. decomposita subsp. rotundiloba→P. decomposita subsp. decomposita,(2)P. qiui→P. ostii→P. rockii subsp. rockii→P. rockii subsp. taibaishanica. In addition, the phylogenetic status of subsect. Delavayanae was also discussed.

Key words: Paeonia section Moutan DC., subsection vaginatae, phylogeny