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Paeonia suffruticosa
Also called Tree Peony
Moutan peony is a hybrid group of tree peony cultivars, grown as a deciduous shrub with large showy flowers. It is prized in Chinese gardens and is grown mainly for its blooms, with a dappled-shade site giving the best flowering.
Paeonia × suffruticosa is a group of tree peony cultivars that are the result of hybridization with peony species exclusively belonging to the subsection Vaginatae. The common name used in China is mǔdān (Chinese: 牡丹) or Moutan peony. Cultivars of this group have been cultivated in Chinese floriculture for millennia, initially only as a source of traditional Chinese medicine, particularly for the skin of their roots (牡丹皮; mǔdān pí). Already early on, the plant was also cultivated for its ornamental value, and it is highly revered in Chinese culture.
Paeonia × suffruticosa is a perennial deciduous shrub with stems up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in); the branches are short and thick. leaves are usually green, pale green, sometimes white, about 5–11 cm (2.0–4.3 in) long. Flowers have petals of reddish purple, pink to white. Flowering occurs in May; fruiting in June.
In order to propagate the bush, the seeds are collected in June when the seed pods split. They are air-dried for a few days and then stored in moist soil before planting out during autumn. If the pods are fully dried out, it is more difficult for the seeds to sprout. Seeds that are harvested late or allowed to dry completely will not produce roots until the following spring, and then do not send up shoots for another year. Ideally, the plant should be planted in fertile, humus-rich soil with plenty of organic matter (in USDA zones 3 to 8).
Paeonia × suffruticosa grows in both full sun to dappled shade. However, the plant blooms best in dappled shade with 3 to 4 hours of sunlight. When grown in full sun, it is essential to provide adequate moisture to the plant. Generally, the tree requires very little pruning, but it is necessary to cut off dead branches, and to cut off any sprouts that are suckers from the herbaceous root stock.
Paeonia × suffruticosa contains paeonol, galloyl-paeoniflorin, galloyl-oxypaeoniflorin, suffruticoside A, B, C, D and E.
Anomalous Peony · California peony · Paeonia cambessedesii · Paeonia corsica · Paeonia daurica subsp. mlokosewitschii · Tree Peony · Dian mu dan · Himalayan Peony · Chinese peony · Paeonia ludlowii · Peony · Chinese Peony
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Paeonia × suffruticosa by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
