Paeonia x suffruticosa
Tree Peony, Moutan Peony
Description
Peonies are rhizomatous plants with large tuberous roots. The leaves are composed of leaflets that are ovate, elliptical or oblong in shape, which in turn are more or less deeply lobed and divided into segments, some of which are very slender. The leaf surfaces are usually hairless, but in some species the underside is covered with a dense, silky down. The flowers have a calyx of five sepals and a corolla of five petals with more or less rounded margins that open fully, though there are some exceptions.
Both herbaceous and tree peonies are strong, robust plants, highly cold-hardy, easy to grow and well-adapted to a variety of environmental conditions. Sometimes, even when neglected, they grow vigorously and produce abundant blooms. Within the shrub peony group, the cultivars of Paeonia suffruticosa have an upright habit, and what sets them apart is the lignification of their stems, which gives them a shrub-like growth habit similar to that of rhododendrons or hydrangeas. Although they are slow-growing plants, especially at the start, they require space. Seven to eight years after planting, they can exceed 1 m in height and almost the same in width. These plants are suitable for use in gardens and parks, as well as on balconies and terraces in large planters and pots.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Phylum
- Magnoliophyta
- Class
- Angiospermae
- Order
- Saxifragales
- Family
- Paeoniaceae
- Genus
- Paeonia
- Species
- Paeonia x suffruticosa
