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The Peony, Paeonia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Paeoniaceae. Most are herbaceous perennials 0.5-1.5m tall, but some are woody plants, making shrubs to 2-3m tall. They produce large, often fragrant flowers in shades of red to white or yellow in late spring and early summer. They are native to Asia, southern Europe and western North America.
Species of peony include:
- Herbaceous species (about 30 species)
- Paeonia anomala
- Paeonia intermedia
- Paeonia tenuifolia
- Brown's Peony (Paeonia brownii)
- California Peony (Paeonia californica)
- Chinese Peony (Paeonia lactiflora)
- Japanese Peony (Paeonia japonica, Synonym of Paeonia obovata)
- Balkan Peony (Paeonia mascula)
- European Peony (Paeonia officinalis)
- Greek Peony (Paeonia parnassica)
- Veitch's Peony (Paeonia veitchii)
- Woody species (about 10 species)
- Delavay's Tree Peony (P. delavayi)
- Ludlow's Tree Peony (P. ludlowii)
- Suffruticosa Peony Cultivar group (Paeonia X suffruticosa)
- Rock's Peony (Paeonia rockii)
- Qiu's Peony (Paeonia qiui)
- Jishan Peony (Paeonia jishanensis, Syn. Paeonia spontanea)
- Osti's Peony (Paeonia ostii)
- Paeonia decomposita
Folk medicine
"Ebisugusuri", the Japanese name for the peony means "medicine from China."
In traditional folk medicine, peony root was used as a treatment for menstrual cramps, asthma and convulsions.
 1800s botanical drawing of a single-flowered peony. Symbolism
The peony, along with the plum blossom, are two traditional floral symbols of China. In 1903, the Qing Dynasty declared the peony as the national flower. Currently, the Republic of China designates the plum blossom as the national flower, while the People's Republic of China has no legally designated national flower. In 1994, the peony was proposed as the national flower after a nation-wide poll, but the National People's Congress failed to ratify the selection. In 2003, another selection process has begun, but to date, no choice has been made.
The peony is also the State flower of Indiana. In 1957, the Indiana General Assembly passed a law to make the peony as the state flower of Indiana. It replaced the zinnia, which had been the state flower since 1931.
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