peony
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peony
(pē`ənē), any plant of the genus Paeonia of the family Ranunculaceae (buttercupbuttercupor crowfoot,
common name for the Ranunculaceae, a family of chiefly annual or perennial herbs of cool regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Thought to be one of the most primitive families of dicotyledenous plants, the Ranunculaceae typically have a simple
..... Click the link for more information. family, although placed in the order Dilleniales as a separate family, the Paeoniaceae, by many modern botanists), mostly Eurasian species popular as garden and florists' flowers. Herbaceous peonies (most varieties of P. lactiflora)—formerly and still sometimes called piney—are hardy, bushy perennials that die back each year. The large, usually spring-blooming, single or double flowers commonly range in shades from red to white. Tree peonies (P. suffruticosa) have a somewhat woody, persistent base and are usually taller than the herbaceous, with more abundant and larger blossoms; they often are very long-lived but are less common in cultivation. Both kinds of peony have long been venerated in their native China and Japan. The peony was formerly regarded as both ornamental and medicinal—the roots were used to prevent convulsions. P. brownii is a species of small peony, not horticulturally important, that is native to the West Coast of North America. Peony is classified in the division MagnoliophytaMagnoliophyta
, division of the plant kingdom consisting of those organisms commonly called the flowering plants, or angiosperms. The angiosperms have leaves, stems, and roots, and vascular, or conducting, tissue (xylem and phloem).
..... Click the link for more information. , class Magnoliopsida, order Ranunculales, family Ranunculaceae.
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peony
peony
Very beautiful cup-shaped flowers, usually pink, white or red with yellow (sometimes white) stamens. Lots of varieties. Bushes can grow to look like small trees 10ft (3m) tall. Add flowers petals to your salad, soup, tea. Used for menstrual cramps, irregularities, emotional nervous conditions. Consult with expert, can be toxic if taken incorrectly.
Edible Plant Guide © 2012 Markus Rothkranz
peony
of Indiana. [Flower Symbolism: Golenpaul, 631]
See: Flower, State
peony
symbol of shyness and timidity. [Flower Symbolism: Flora Symbolica, 176]
See: Timidity
Allusions—Cultural, Literary, Biblical, and Historical: A Thematic Dictionary. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
peony
, paeony1. any of various ranunculaceous shrubs and plants of the genus Paeonia, of Eurasia and North America, having large pink, red, white, or yellow flowers
2. the flower of any of these plants
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005