Paeonia ostii is a hardy shrub in the peony family, Paeoniaceae. It can be found in the Gansu, Anhui, Shaanxi and Henan provinces of China. It can reach heights of 1.5 m with grey-brown bark and lance shaped leaflets. Flowers are produced in mid-spring, up to 15 cm across, and pure white without basal blotches. The flowers can sometimes be faintly tinged with pink.

Paeonia ostii
Paeonia ostii 'Feng dan bai'
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Paeoniaceae
Genus: Paeonia
Species:
P. ostii
Binomial name
Paeonia ostii
T. Hong & J. X. Zhang
Synonyms[1]
  • Paeonia yinpingmudan (D.Y.Hong, K.Y.Pan & Zhang W.Xie) B.A.Shen

This species is the parent of two medicinal varieties of tree peonies. 'Feng Dan Bai' (Phoenix White) and 'Feng Dan Fen' (Phoenix Pink) are grown for the bark of their roots which is used as an antispasmodic throughout Asia.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species, retrieved 7 July 2016
  2. ^ Peonies: The Imperial Flower by Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall ISBN 0-297-82424-4