Korea
中文Scientific name Paeonia Lactiflora
Flowering period June (White Poeny), May-June (Chinese Peony)
Floriography Shyness
Family Buttercup family
la revue horticole 1934 n 2 – chronique horticole-g.bellair. faits
A long time ago, I dreamt of wearing an art deco dress and holding a bouquet of peonies. Along with roses, peonies are symbols of elegance and beauty, and used in bouquets by women.
In ancient European castles, art, and pottery, and in Eastern Art as well, the peony exudes a tranquil beauty. In the medicinal herb farms of Janghung, there are fields of peonies because they are valuable flowers used for medicine and not just as ornaments.
Paeonia lactiflora
It is worth visiting the peony field behind the Agricultural Technology Center in Deokjin-myeon, Yeongam-gun, Jeollanam-do. Although the peony is a flower suited for love, the legend behind it is truly sad.
Some people confuse the Moutan peony with the common peony. The moutan peony has a much larger flower with more intense colors and the common peony is timid in comparison. According to legend, a princess named Peon was in love with a prince of a neighboring kingdom, but he left for war with only the words, “Wait for me until I return.”
The princess waited for the prince for years but he never returned. One day, she heard a blind musician sing a sad song. The blind musician sang about the prince dying while missing the princess and the lyrics were, “The prince who missed the princess died and became a Moutan peony flower. And lived sadly in a far away foreign land…”
The princess left to find the kingdom in the song of the blind singer, where she found the moutan peony. The legend says the princess prayed that she will never be parted from the prince again and a common peony bloomed where she died next to the moutan peony.
Paeonia suffruticosa var. flore purpureo – circa 1807
It is also called the herbaceous flower because it is big and desirable. There are varieties such as the white peony, red peony, and the Chinese peony. The white peony is 40-50cm tall and is covered with scaly leaves at the bottom. The roots are thick, the leaves grow out in threes or fours, and the flower blooms in June. The red peony is about 50-80cm and the roots are spindle shaped, the small leaves are elongated, oval shaped, or egg-shaped, while the center is flat.
In oriental medicine, the roots are used as medicine as they have antibacterial properties and are good for anemia. It can also relieve pain associated with gastritis and stomach cramps.
