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Brown's peony

Paeonia brownii Douglas ex Hook.

Brown’s peony is a western American perennial whose nodding, maroon flowers support an unusual mixture of insect visitors. In Oregon’s Blue Mountains, researchers found that individual flowers remained open for roughly nine to fifteen days, secreting nectar from fleshy lobes around their centres throughout that period. Bernhardt, Meier and Vance (2013): Pollination ecology and floral function of Brown’s peony, Journal of Pollination Ecology 11:9–20

Botanical artwork associated with Brown's peony (Paeonia brownii Douglas ex Hook.)
Rhodo botanical artwork inspired by Brown's peony; an artistic interpretation, not a botanical identification guide.
Wear Brown's peony: explore the botanical t-shirt

Botanical name

Kew accepts Paeonia brownii Douglas ex Hook. as a species in Paeoniaceae. Kew Plants of the World Online: Paeonia brownii

Recognizing the plant

Plants are commonly 20–40 centimetres tall. Their divided leaves usually have a bluish or waxy cast, especially underneath, with rounded or blunt-ended final lobes. The petals are maroon to bronze with yellowish or greenish edges and are usually shorter than the inner sepals. Seed follicles reach two to four centimetres long. Flora of North America, volume 8: Paeonia brownii

Bloom window

Western United States

The North American flora records flowering mainly in May and June, with records extending from March into August. Flora of North America, volume 8: Paeonia brownii

Native range

Native to the western United States, it occurs from Washington and Oregon inland to Montana, Wyoming and Utah and south into California and Nevada. Its habitats include open dry pine woodland, sagebrush and mountain scrub, and aspen stands. Kew Plants of the World Online: Paeonia browniiFlora of North America, volume 8: Paeonia brownii

Ecological relationships

At the Oregon study site, wasp queens, the hoverfly Criorhina caudata and Lasioglossum sweat bees were common pollen vectors. Bernhardt, Meier and Vance (2013): Pollination ecology and floral function of Brown’s peony, Journal of Pollination Ecology 11:9–20

The study also reared Euxoa ustula moths from caterpillars found feeding on the peony’s floral tissues. Bernhardt, Meier and Vance (2013): Pollination ecology and floral function of Brown’s peony, Journal of Pollination Ecology 11:9–20

Botanical sources

Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.