Peonies
Paeonia
The peony or paeony () is any flowering plant in the genus Paeonia, the only genus in the family Paeoniaceae. Peonies are native to Asia, Europe, and Western North America. Scientists differ on the number of species that can be distinguished, ranging from 25 to 40, although the current consensus describes 33 known species. The relationships between the species need to be further clarified.
Most are herbaceous perennial plants 0.25–1 metre (1–3 ft) tall, but some are woody shrubs 0.25–3.5 metres (1–11 ft) tall. They have compound, deeply lobed leaves and large, often fragrant flowers, in colors ranging from purple and pink to red, white or yellow, in late spring and early summer. The flowers have a short blooming season, usually lasting for only 7–10 days.
13 branches of this genus, most-observed first
Paeonia
subgenusPaeonia
Tree paeonies
subgenusMoutan
Caucasus Peony
speciesPaeonia caucasica
Paeonia hybrida
speciesPaeonia hybrida
Paeonia wittmanniana
speciesPaeonia wittmanniana
Paeonia mlokosewitschii
speciesPaeonia mlokosewitschii
Paeonia vernalis
speciesPaeonia vernalis
Paeonia × chamaeleon
hybridPaeonia × chamaeleon
Paeonia × litvinskajae
hybridPaeonia × litvinskajae
Paeonia wendelboi
speciesPaeonia wendelboi
Paeonia archibaldii
speciesPaeonia archibaldii
Paeonia triternata
speciesPaeonia triternata
Paeonia sandrae
speciesPaeonia sandrae
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the old herbals & bestiaries
Notable Commentaries on the History of Plants
Leonhart Fuchs · 1549 · p.234
De medicinali materia libri sex
Dioscorides · 1552 · p.496
Commentaries on the Six Books of Pedanius Dioscorides on Medical Matter
Pietro Andrea Mattioli · 1565 · p.1087
Rariorum Plantarum Historia (with Fungorum Historia)
Carolus Clusius · 1601 · p.297
Hortus Eystettensis
Basilius Besler · 1640 · p.119
Latin Herbal with German Synonyms
1484 · p.241
The Book of Health: The Art of Distillation
Brunschwig, Hieronymus · 1505 · p.226
Notable Commentaries on the History of Plants
Leonhart Fuchs · 1542 · p.236
On Medical Materials in Six Books
Dioscorides · 1550 · p.488
Commentaries on the Six Books of Dioscorides
Pietro Andrea Mattioli · 1560 · p.628
Commentaries on the Six Books of Dioscorides on Medical Matter
Pietro Andrea Mattioli · 1563 · p.573
Florum et coronariarum historia
Rembert Dodoens · 1568 · p.115
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Paeonia in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 58228.