Mediterranean species close to A. coronaria , with which it is sometimes confused, but distinguished by clear morphological features and a slightly different ecology. Found from the northwestern Mediterranean rim — southern France, Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Balkans — to Turkey and the Near East, growing in dry grasslands, open garrigues, limestone hillsides, and cultivated fields at low altitude.
Distinctive features compared to A. coronaria : tepals generally numbering 7 to 9, narrower and more elongated, giving the flower a more star-like and slender silhouette, less round and massive than that of A. coronaria . The dark heart of stamens is surrounded by a basal ring of the same color as the tepals but more intense, forming a characteristic colored eye — hence the name peacock, evoking the ocelli of the plumage. The basal leaves are cut but generally less finely divided than in A. coronaria .
Color extremely variable, ranging from bright red to pink, mauve, violet, salmon, and orange, often with particularly spectacular intense and saturated shades. The wild populations of the Mediterranean rim offer a remarkably rich chromatic palette, and the red forms in particular reach a very decorative burning scarlet intensity.
Tuberous plant like A. coronaria , with similar cultivation, appreciating warmth, drainage, and sunny exposure. Less frequently cultivated than its close relative but just as deserving, used in Mediterranean gardens and sunny rock gardens. Naturally hybridizes with A. coronaria in areas of sympatry, producing intermediate forms sometimes making determination in the field delicate.