The steppe peonies (Paeonia tenuifolia) of Zau de Campie commune, located in the only botanical reserve of its kind in Europe, at the highest altitude in the world where this flower has been able to adapt, have been very late in blooming due to the low temperatures this spring, and the first flowers could come out at the end of this week at the earliest.

For this reason, tourists have been advised to be patient so that the young peonies are not trampled on.

'The recent cold weather is delaying the blooming of the steppe peonies, so the first flowers will only come out in the next few days! Until then please don't come to visit (even if you know that in other years they were in bloom), in the coming days we will finalize the laying of paths for visitors and other necessary works. I will keep you informed about the evolution of the flowering stage, I promise,' the custodian of the Zau de Campie Reserve, Ciprian Cenan, posted on Facebook

He told AGERPRES on Monday that he made this appeal because tourists usually enter the reserve, even if the flowers have not bloomed and even if the intentions of those who come to admire them are the best, they can inadvertently destroy the young peonies.

'Because of the cold weather, many peonies are very small, their leaves have not yet changed color from brown to green and so there is a danger of being crushed. I'm here, working on the paths, because the cold weather, the rains and the snow have delayed us with the landscaping work. I hope by the end of the week the first flower will come out in the lower reserve. When the first blossom appears, that's the official start of the visiting season. The frost and snow of the last few days haven't affected the peonies. The good news is that on April 26 and 27, when the second edition of the Peony Festival will take place at the Ugron Castle in Zau de Campie, dedicated to the steppe peony, the peonies will be in bloom and can be admired in all their splendor,' said Ciprian Cenan.

The custodian said that last year, the first three steppe peonies bloomed on April 5, being a warm spring, but the flowers suffered a little due to drought, but that this year there is enough water in the soil, due to the rainfall in recent days.

The Visit Mures Association, in partnership with the Municipality of Zau de Campie and the Association 'Manifest for Patrimony', is organizing the second edition of the Peony Festival at the Castle, on April 26 and 27, at the Ugron Castle, which includes guided tours to the Botanical Reserve of Steppe Peonies (Paeonia tenuifolia).

The steppe peonies at Zau de Campie usually bloom from April to May, sometimes until June, and remain in bloom for only seven days, ranging in height from 10 to 30 centimetres and with bright red flowers.

The reserve is located 5 kilometers from the center of Zau de Campie commune and was established in 1932 by academician Alexandru Borza, considered the founder of the Romanian botanical school. The initial surface area was 2.5 hectares and the first custodian, Marcu Sancraianu, extended it to 3.5 hectares during the Second World War.

In the Zau de Campie Reserve there are two lots, the upper reserve of 2.5 hectares, where there were 20,000 specimens in the 2014 inventory, and the lower reserve, which has one hectare, where there are over 30,000 specimens. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Dorina Matis; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)