Author:
Qjure
Book:
Qjurious
Type:
Info
Chapter:
3-652.15.08
Paeonia officinalis
English: Peony; European peony; Common peony.
Synonym: Paeonia europaea.
Dutch: Pioenroos.
Genus: 150 species; only genus of Paeoniaceae.
Region: Europe, Mediterranean, France to Albania.
Habitat: rocky woodlands and meadows; prefers sunny, rocky mountain slopes; dry soil, calcium.
Content: tannin, resin.
Culture: Paieon, a Greek physician, cured wounds of Pluto and other gods from the Trojan War with Paeonia; Paeonia is a traditional floral symbol of China; since 1957 the peony is also the State flower of Indiana; fairy tale Hansel and Gretel.
Source: Pieter Kuiper, Marguerite Pelt; Interhomeopathy 2007, May.
Use: flowers, cooked, as a vegetable or to scent tea; hot seeds are ground into a powder and used as a spice in ale or food.
Botany
Shrub; deciduous; 150 cm tall; long lived, for 50 years; intolerant of replantation, take a few years before it will blossom again.
Root: strongly resents root disturbance.
Pollination: by insects; self-fertile.