Thursday 24 July 2014
The peony is
a flowering plant in the genus Paeonia, 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. The peony is
named after Paeon, 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. The family name
"Paeoniaceae" was first used by Friedrich K.L. Rudolphi in 1830,
following a suggestion by Friedrich Gottlieb Bartling that same year. Source
