Chinese peony

Paeonia lactiflora Pall.

Chinese peony has contributed extensively to the cultivated peonies grown in gardens. Beneath its leafy shoots are a taproot and a short horizontal rhizome. Garden forms produce large white, pink or red flowers, and plants can be propagated by dividing their established underground growth as well as by seed. Tatyana Shulkina, Ornamental Plants from Russia and Adjacent States: Paeonia lactiflora

Botanical name

Kew accepts Paeonia lactiflora Pall. in Paeoniaceae; Paeonia albiflora is among its synonyms. Kew Plants of the World Online: Paeonia lactiflora

Recognizing the plant

Wild plants have single flowers, usually white or pink, while cultivated forms may be double and vary more widely in colour. Several flowers can occur on one shoot, both at the tip and in leaf axils. The divided leaves have lance-shaped segments with fine teeth and bristles along the upper veins. Yellow stamens surround two to five carpels, which become dry follicles. Flora of China, volume 6: Paeonia lactiflora

Bloom window

China

The Flora of China records flowering in May and June, followed by fruiting in August. Flora of China, volume 6: Paeonia lactiflora

Native range

Its native range extends from southeastern Siberia through Mongolia into northern and eastern China. Within China, the flora records it in woods and grasslands at about 400–2,300 metres elevation. Kew Plants of the World Online: Paeonia lactiflora Flora of China, volume 6: Paeonia lactiflora

Ecological relationships

In a cultivated Beijing field, honeybee visits increased seed number and weight compared with plants netted to exclude the bees. Tian et al. (2023): The Honeybee Is an Efficient Pollinator for Paeonia lactiflora, Applied Sciences 13:1179

Botanical sources

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