Peony or paeony is a name for plants in the genus Paeonia, the only genus in the flowering plant family Paeoniaceae. They are native to Asia, southern Europe and western North America. Boundaries between species are not clear and estimates of the number of species range from 25 to 40.

• Herbaceous species (about 30 species)
  • Paeonia abchasica
  • Paeonia anomala
  • Paeonia bakeri
  • Paeonia broteri
  • Paeonia brownii (Brown’s Peony)
  • Paeonia californica (California Peony)
  • Paeonia cambessedesii
  • Paeonia caucasica
  • Paeonia clusii
  • Paeonia coriacea
  • Paeonia daurica
  • Paeonia emodi
  • Paeonia hirsuta
  • Paeonia intermedia
  • Paeonia japonica (Japanese Peony)
  • Paeonia kesrouanensis (Syrian Peony)
  • Paeonia lactiflora (Chinese Peony, known as 芍藥 “sháoyao” in Chinese, “common garden peony”)
  • Paeonia macrophylla
  • Paeonia mairei
  • Paeonia mascula (Balkan Peony)
  • Paeonia mlokosewitschii (Golden Peony)
  • Paeonia obovata
  • Paeonia officinalis (European Peony)
  • Paeonia parnassica (Greek Peony)
  • Paeonia peregrina
  • Paeonia rhodia
  • Paeonia sinjiangensis
  • Paeonia sterniana
  • Paeonia steveniana
  • Paeonia tenuifolia
  • Paeonia tomentosa
  • Paeonia veitchii (Veitch’s Peony)
  • Paeonia wittmanniana

• Woody species (about 8 species)
  • Paeonia decomposita
  • Paeonia delavayi (Delavay’s Tree Peony)
  • Paeonia jishanensis (syn. Paeonia spontanea; Jishan Peony)
  • Paeonia ludlowii (Ludlow’s Tree Peony)
  • Paeonia ostii (Osti’s Peony)
  • Paeonia qiui (Qiu’s Peony)
  • Paeonia rockii (syn. Paeonia suffruticosa subsp. rockii; Rock’s Peony or Tree Peony)
  • Paeonia suffruticosa (Chinese tree peony, known as 牡丹 “mǔdān” in Chinese)

Paeonia Brownii (brown peony)

Paeonia californica
Grows in North America. It grows on dry hillsides in the coastal sage scrub and chaparral communities of the coastal mountains of Southern and Central California, often as an understory plant.

Paeonia emodi, or Himalayan peony
is named after the latin for Himalaya, “emodi montes”, where it grows in the western part of the mountain range. It is among the tallest of the Peony species, and while cold-hardy it grows better in warm temperate climates. It is a parent of the popular hybrid “White Innocence”, which reaches 1.5 m.

Paeonia lactiflora, also Chinese Peony (芍 or 白芍 in Chinese; pinyin: sháo or bái sháo; bái meaning “white”), and common garden peony is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Paeoniaceae, native to central and eastern Asia from eastern Tibet across northern China to eastern Siberia. It is about 60-100 cm tall with large compound leaves 20-40 cm long. The flower buds are large and round, opening into large flowers 8-16 cm diameter, with 5-10 white, pink, or crimson petals and yellow stamens.

Chinese Peony is widely grown as an ornamental plant in gardens, with several hundred selected cultivars; many of the cultivars have double flowers, with the stamens modified into additional petals. It was first introduced to England in the mid 1700s, and is the species that has produced most common garden peonies today.^[1] It was known as P. albiflora for many years, and as the white peony when first introduced into Europe. There are many colors now available, from pure milk white, to pink, rose, and near red—along with single to full double forms. They are prolific bloomers, and have become the main source of peonies for the cut flower business.^[2]

In China, it is less highly valued as an ornamental plant than the cultivars of tree peony Paeonia rockii (tree peony, known as ziban mǔ dān in Chinese) and its hybrid Paeonia x suffruticosa, or mǔ dān (牡丹 ).

It is used as a medicinal herb in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is called 芍药 (pinyin: sháo yào) or 白芍药 (pinyin: bái sháo yào). The root is used to reduce fever and pain, and on wounds to stop bleeding and prevent infection. An antispasmodic effect is also recorded in the Japanese pharmacopoeia

Paeonia lactiflora ‘White Wings’ single-flowered.	Paeonia lactiflora ‘Blaze’	Paeonia lactiflora ‘Pink Hawaiian Coral’ double-flowered.	Paeonia lactiflora ‘Mons. Jules Elie’
Paeonia lactiflora ‘Barrington Bride’ japanese-flowered.	Paeonia lactiflora ‘Doreen’

Wild Peony (Paeonia mascula)

also known as the Male or Balkan Peony and sometimes referred to by the synonym Paeonia corallina^[1] is a species of peony. A herbaceous perennial plant 0.5–1.5 metres tall, the Wild Peony has leaves which are divided into three segments and large red flowers in late spring and early summer. Native to China, Italy, Morocco, Spain, Greece and Turkey^[1] this wild peony has become naturalised on two small islands in the UK.

Wild peonies are at risk in their natural environment due to the demand from private collectors and there is a significant trade in wild Peonia mascula from Turkey.

Ideal conditions are light (sandy) soils although and most peonies can grow in heavy clay soil. The Wid Peony prefers acid and neutral soils, can grow in semi-shade and tolerates drought.

The Wild Peony was introduced to the island of Steep Holm in the Bristol Channel, possibly by monks, and has naturalised.^[2] 37 plants were taken to nearby Flat Holm island by Frank Harris, the farmer at the time, in the 1930’s, many of which died during the World War II occupation and fortification of the island. One remaining plant was reintroduced by the Flat Holm Warden in 1982 and is protected by fencing near the path to the lighthouse. A few plants grown from seed also survive in the farmhouse garden^.

Paeonia mlokosewitschii (Golden Peony or Caucasian Peony)
native to the Caucasus Mountains in Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Dagestan, where it grows on rocky slopes in oak, hornbeam, or beech forests.

In 2002, the Chinese botanist Hong Deyuan reduced it to a subspecies of Paeonia daurica, namely Paeonia daurica (Andrews ) subsp. mlokosewitschii (Lomakin) D.Y.Hong 2003.

It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing twenty-three to twenty-seven inches (60–70 cm) tall, with biternate, glaucous leaves with obovate lobes. In spring it bears large, single, lemon-yellow flowers five inches (10–12 cm) in diameter, the ovary pubescent, the two to four carpels white, pink or yellow, and the stamen filaments yellow-green.

It was discovered by the Polish botanist Ludwik Mlokosiewicz in 1897, after whom it was named by Aleksandr Lomakin. The plant is sometimes nicknamed “Molly the Witch”, a humorous mispronunciation of the species name, which most non-Poles find difficult to pronounce.

Paeonia obovata (woodland peony) is a plant in the peony family, Paeoniaceae

Paeonia officinalis, or European peony, Common peony
is the common peony cultivated in Europe for five hundred years. It was first used for medicinal purposes, then grown as an ornamental. Many selections are now used in horticulture, though the typical species is uncommon. Paeonia officinalis is still found wild in Europe.

Paeonia veitchii, or Veitch’s peony
is native to a wide range of altitudes in central China. It’s one of the shorter Paoenia, with a raspberry-magenta flower and fine foliage^.

WOODY

Paeonia delavayi, Delavay’s tree peony
is a species of peony that is named after Pierre Jean Marie Delavay. It is one of several species given the vernacular name tree peony. P. delavayi was first described by Adrien René Franchet in 1892.

Rock’s peony or Rock’s tree peony
(Paeonia rockii, also Paeonia suffruticosa subsp. rockii^[1]) is a woody species of peony that is named after Joseph Rock. It is one of several species given the vernacular name tree peony, and is native to the mountains of midwestern China, mainly in Gansu and adjoining provinces. In Chinese, it is known as 牡丹 (pinyin: mǔ dān) or 牡丹皮 (pinyin: mǔ dān pí), and its flower is called 牡丹花 (pinyin: mǔ dān huā). It became the unofficial national flower of China following a nationwide referendum in 1994.

Paeonia suffruticosa,
the tree peony, is a species of peony native to China. It is known as 牡丹 “mǔdān” in Chinese and is an important symbol in Chinese culture.
Please see the main peony article for more information. It was first described by Henry Charles Andrews

Paeonia ludlowii

The chinese uses Paeonia suffruticosa as national flower in the Qing? ??