The custodian of the Botanical Reservation in Zau de campie, Ciprian Cenan, told AGERPRES on Monday that immediately after the blossoming of the first fern leaf peony or steppe peonies (Paeonia tenuifolia), tourists began to come in large numbers, with the largest tourist wave having been recorded at the end of last week, when the blood-red peonies were visited by several hundred people.

"At the moment, about 30pct of the peonies are in bloom. If the weather is still warm, I think the maximum flowering will be at the end of this week. Immediately after the first flowers appeared, our reservation was visited by many people, with hundreds coming to visit this week. I can't say exactly the number of visitors, because there are always groups coming. If the weather allows it, if it stays warm like yesterday and today, at the end of the week we could see the maximum blossoming," said Ciprian Cenan.

The fern leaf peonies from Zau de Campie bloom between April and May, sometimes until June, and remain in bloom for only seven days, are 10 to 30 centimetres tall and have bright red flowers.

The reservation at Zau de Campie is located on the highest place in the world to which this plant has adapted, at more than 450 metres, the lower series of plants, with difference in level from the upper series being of about 25-30 metres.

This reservation is located 5 kilometres far from the centre of the Zau de Campie rural town and was founded in 1932 by academician Alexandru Borza, who is considered the founder of the Romanian school of botany.

The fern leaf peonies came out later this year due to the low temperatures recorded this spring, and the first flowers appeared only at the end of April. AGERPRES (RO - author: Dorina Matis, editor: Marius Fratila, EN - author: Cristina Zaharia, editor: Adina Panaitescu)