Paeonia emodi Flower (05/05/20112, Kew Gardens, London)
Position: Full sun to partial shade
Flowering period: Late spring to early summer
Soil: Moist, well drained
Eventual Height: 90cm
Eventual Spread: 120cm
Hardiness: 6a – 9a
Family: Paeoniaceae
Paeonia emodi is a large flowered herbaceous perennial. Its dark green leaves are divided into up to nine lanceolate leaflets, each being up to 13cm long and 3.5cm broad. Its leaves emerge purple in spring. Its stems are erect and arching. Its large pendant flowers appear in the leaf axis and terminally, have white petals with yellow stamens and are up to 12cm across. Its fruit is a follicle, each containing up to five seeds. Its roots are tuberous.
Paeonia emodi, commonly known as the Himalayan Peony or the Late Windflower, is native to the western Himalayas. Many parts of this plants are used in medicine in and around the Himalayan region.
The etymological root of the binomial name Paeonia is named after Paeon, a Greece physician of the gods who, in mythology, was changed into a flower by Pluto. Emodi is from the Latin name for the Himalayan Mountains emondi montes.
Paeonia emodi (05/05/20112, Kew Gardens, London)
The landscape architect may find Paeonia emodi useful as part of a woodland edge planting scheme in the light dappled shade of trees.
Ecologically, P. emodi is attractive to pollinating insects.
P. emodi prefers moist, humus rich, well-drained soils. It tolerates most pH of soil. It will not tolerate dry soils.
Paeonia emodi requires little maintenance. Once planted the roots of this plant should not be disturbed.
