Peony Perfection
As one walks about town in the last couple of weeks, given the relatively long stretch of cool, wet weather in May, the peonies have put on a nice, long, albeit late display this year. Bascially, what you are seeing — white, red, pink, single-flowered, double-flowered, and other cultivars of peony, are variations of the same species—Paeonia lactiflora, which originates in East Asia where peonies have been revered and upheld to celebration since at least 900 BCE. They were introduced to European horticulture by 1558 and have grown in American gardens since 1771. They are truly an old-fashioned flower garden perennial.
Thirty species in the genus Paeonia are found mostly in the northern hemisphere including North America and Asia. In the U.S., we have two native species, seldom seen in horticulture, from the western U.S.—Brown’s peony (Paeonia brownii), and Paeonia californica,
There are about 14 species in East Asia, mostly China, including Peonia lactiflora (shao-yao) from which the vast majority of our garden peonies are derived. A European species, common peony (Paeonia officinalis), is native to Switzerland and elsewhere in central Europe, cultivated in England since the 1500s.
Since Roman times, the roots were used as a treatment for epilepsy. All peonies are considered potentially toxic, except for well-defined medicinal preparations in the hands of a skilled clinician from another culture. Your doctor will not recommend it.
The genus name Paeonia, with the same word root as the common name, celebrates Paeon. Apollo, god of healing was the father of Asclepias, god of medicine. Paeon, a pupil of Asclepius, served as physician to the Greek gods.
Paeon used the root of peonies to cure Pluto of a wound, the first mythical use of peony for medicinal purposes. This aroused the jealousy of Asclepias, who plotted to kill Paeon. When Pluto heard of the plot, he changed Paeon into the plant that has since borne his name.
To pronounce the word “peony” is to give a hint to where you come from. “PEA-o-nee” is familiar to my New England ears. Here in the South, “Pay-OH’-nee” is a more familiar twist, sort of like the difference in pronunciation between the Yankee two-syllable “theatre” and the Southerner’s three syllable tongue roll “theatre.”
Either way is correct unless you’re from the north visiting the south or vice versa.