PEONIES
Paeonia (peony or paeony) is a genus of flowering plants, the only genus in the family Paeoniaceae. They are native to Asia, Southern Europe and Western North America. Boundaries between species are not clear and estimates of the number of species range from 25 to 40. Most are herbaceous perennial plants 0.5–1.5 metres tall, but some resemble trees 1.5–3 metres tall. They have compound, deeply lobed leaves and large, often fragrant, flowers, ranging from red to white or yellow, in late spring and early summer.
The peony is named after Paeon (also spelled Paean), a student of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing. Asclepius became jealous of his pupil; Zeus saved Paeon from the wrath of Asclepius by turning him into the peony flower.
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.
Gorgeous! I love peonies. I hadn't heard the story of how it got its name before.
ReplyDeleteGreat legend behind the beautiful flower! Love all the tight layers of petals captured here!
ReplyDeleteI love peonies but have never lived in a climate where they prosper. Maybe someday!
ReplyDeleteSuch lovely flowers,
ReplyDeletelovely photo, but whenever I see these, I always think back to my mother's & how she'd clip them for me to take to my teachers - and how they'd always have ants in them that would get on me (can you tell I didn't care for them as a child?! haha)
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