Paeonia officinalis L.

Common peony (en), Pivoine officinale (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Saxifragales > Paeoniaceae > Paeonia

Characteristics

A perennial plant. It grows 50-75 cm tall and 50-75 cm wide. The leaves are dark green and divided. There are 17-30 leaflets. They are green above and blue-green underneath. The flowers are deep red or pink and cup shaped.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread epizoochory
Mature width (meter) 0.6 - 1.0
Mature height (meter) 0.6 - 0.7
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) 1.5
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a temperate plant. It is frost hardy. It suits hardiness zones 8-9.
More
Rocky woodlands and meadows, usually on limestone.
Light 4-8
Soil humidity 4-7
Soil texture 2-5
Soil acidity 4-8
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 7-9

Usage

The seeds are ground and used as a spice. They are also used for tea. The flowers are used as a vegetable or used to scent tea. The starch of the root is used to extend bread flour after the bitter element is removed.
Uses environmental use medicinal ornamental poison spice tea
Edible flowers roots seeds
Therapeutic use Fissure in ano (flower), Skin diseases (flower), Analgesics (root), Anti-inflammatory agents (root), Arthritis (root), Epilepsy (root), Hypnotics and sedatives (root), Menstruation-inducing agents (root), Migraine disorders (root), Neuralgia (root), Parasympatholytics (root), Whooping cough (root), Epilepsy (tuber), Alterative (unspecified), Bilious (unspecified), Depurative (unspecified), Dropsy (unspecified), Emetic (unspecified), Epilepsy (unspecified), Epistaxis (unspecified), Hemorrhage (unspecified), Poison (unspecified), Tumor(Spleen) (unspecified), Wound (unspecified), Antispasmodic (unspecified), Diarrhea (unspecified), Intestine (unspecified), Intoxicant (unspecified), Liver (unspecified), Nerves (unspecified), Spasm (unspecified), Tonic (unspecified), Uteritis (unspecified), Emmenagogue (unspecified), Convulsion (unspecified), Abortifacient agents (unspecified)
Human toxicity toxic (whole)
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by divisions or seedlings.
Mode divisions seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -23
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Paeonia officinalis habit picture by Pedro Salgadinho (cc-by-sa)
Paeonia officinalis habit picture by Toñi Antonio (cc-by-sa)
Paeonia officinalis habit picture by marie guillemin (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Paeonia officinalis leaf picture by Jean-René Girardeau (cc-by-sa)
Paeonia officinalis leaf picture by Philippe Larcher (cc-by-sa)
Paeonia officinalis leaf picture by Pierre Lézin Le Mesle (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Paeonia officinalis flower picture by Yves Le Petitcorps (cc-by-sa)
Paeonia officinalis flower picture by sainz iñaki (cc-by-sa)
Paeonia officinalis flower picture by Yves Le Petitcorps (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Paeonia officinalis fruit picture by C B (cc-by-sa)
Paeonia officinalis fruit picture by Gregory Mollatte (cc-by-sa)
Paeonia officinalis fruit picture by Folch (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Paeonia officinalis world distribution map, present in Canada, France, and United States of America

Conservation status

Paeonia officinalis threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:711836-1
WFO ID wfo-0000480634
COL ID 4BYC9
BDTFX ID 47339
INPN ID 112042
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Paeonia peregrina f. officinalis Paeonia foemina Paeonia fulgida Paeonia lanceolata Paeonia mollis Paeonia nemoralis Moutan officinalis Paeonia fulgens Paeonia foemina Paeonia fimbriata Paeonia baxteri Paeonia festiva Paeonia commutata Paeonia versicolor Paeonia rubra Paeonia barrii Paeonia feminea Paeonia sessiliflora Paeonia promiscua Paeonia pubens Paeonia hirsuta Paeonia elegans Paeonia subternata Paeonia splendens Paeonia officinalis var. feminea Paeonia officinalis var. hirsuta Paeonia paradoxa var. fimbriata Paeonia peregrina var. officinalis Paeonia officinalis var. albicans Paeonia officinalis var. canescens Paeonia officinalis var. rubra Paeonia officinalis var. anemoniflora Paeonia porrigens Paeonia officinalis

Lower taxons

Paeonia officinalis subsp. huthii Paeonia officinalis subsp. banatica Paeonia officinalis subsp. microcarpa Paeonia officinalis subsp. italica