The difference between peony and peony

1. The Origin of the Two

They both belong to the Ranunculaceae family and the Paeonia genus, so they are bound to have many similarities, and it is even easy to confuse them. In fact, there was no difference between these two plants in ancient times. Later, the terms "wood peony" and "grass peony" appeared. Later, "wood peony" became what we now call peony; "grass peony" is what we now think of as peony. There are records about them in the Compendium of Materia Medica.

2. Main differences

(1) The former is a herbaceous plant with perennial rhizomes. The latter is a woody plant, specifically a deciduous shrub.

(2) Their stems are also different. The stem of the first plant is herbaceous, and at a certain season, after the leaves fall, its above-ground part will die. While the stems of the second plant are woody. After the leaves fall, the above-ground parts can remain alive.

(3) Their leaves also differ. The leaves of the former are narrower and dark green on both sides. The latter has wider leaves, green on the front and slightly yellow on the back.

(4) Their flowers are also different. The flower diameter of the former is about 15 cm, while that of the latter is about 20 cm.

(5) Their flowering periods also differ. The former is in late spring and early summer, while the latter is around March, which is early spring.