Photo of large, double, red flower. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

Shout out to the American Peony Society, an international non-profit organization promoting peony culture, education, science, & enjoyment. It’s a great organization with lots of info & member benefits. #Paeonia ‘Armani’. #peony #Paeoniaceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱
americanpeonysociety...

Photo of large, single, red flower with many stamens. The leaves behind the flower are divided into fine segments. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

This is Paeonia ‘Merry Mayshine’. It’s an artificial hybrid: P. lactiflora x P. tenuifolia. It has the color & narrowly divided leaves of P. tenuifolia, & it’s easy to grow, like P. lactiflora. I love the cultivars, but I’d love to grow more species peonies. #Paeoniaceae #peony #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Photo of a large, fully double, violet-colored peony flower. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

Over centuries, Chinese horticulturists have selected & bred 100s (1000s?) of Paeonia cultivars, most of which are unknown outside of China. I love this one, whose translated name is Paeonia × suffruticosa 'Black Dragon Holds a Splendid Flower' #Paeoniaceae #peony #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Photo of a large, single, pink flower with many stamens and three prominent, free carpels. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

Paeonia species are sometimes cultivated. This is P. mascula growing at RBG Kew, UK.
And yes, there was a P. foemina, but that name is now a synonym of P. officinalis v. officinalis. Why masculine & feminine? The names were not explained by their author. #Paeoniaceae #peony #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Photo of a shrub with large, single, white flowers with many stamens. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

Paeonia has enormous flowers. Flower size is another unique feature of the peony lineage compared to its relatives (see previous post). These flowers of Paeonia × suffruticosa (one of the woody peonies) are easily 8 in./20 cm across. #Paeoniaceae #peony #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Close-up photo of the open follicles of a peony. The mature seeds are fleshy and black. Immature or unfertilized ovules are red. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

Molecular data reveal that the sister lineage of Paeoniaceae is the clade of Altingiaceae, Hamamelidaceae, Cercidiphyllaceae & Daphniphyllaceae, but they differ from peonies in so many ways! For one, these families have winged seeds; Paeonia has fleshy seeds. #Paeoniaceae #peony #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Photo of a large, single flower with bright red petals and a mass of stamens. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

The stamens of #Paeonia are noted for their odd developmental pattern: stamen initiation is centrifugal, i.e., from the center of the flower outward to the petals (the reverse of the usual pattern in flowering plants). 📷: Paeonia 'Scarlett O'Hara' #Paeoniaceae #peony #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Photo of a large flower with broad outer petals and a tuft of pale yellow staminodes in the center. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

Growers classify P. lactiflora cultivars by flower form. In Paeonia 'Cheddar Pom Pom', the stamens are transformed into staminodes, giving it the Japanese flower form. A flower is classified as the Anemone form if the staminodes are more petal-like. #peony #Paeoniaceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Close-up photo of the nodding, greenish-brown flower with many stamens and large, free carpels.

Two peonies are native to western N. America. Paeonia californica & P. brownii (📷: Jim Morefield CCBYSA2) comprise the section Onaepia [anagram!]. They have similar flowers (not very showy). Seeds are dispersed by scatter-hording rodents. #Paeoniaceae #peony #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Photo of peony fruits: 3 carpels opened to reveal dark seeds and red arils. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

Carpel number is sometimes tricky to assess. It’s easiest to see in fruits with free (not fused) carpels. Check out the peony (Paeonia; #Paeoniaceae). Each flower has 3, free carpels. Each carpel dehisces (opens) at maturity. This fruit type is a follicle. #fruit #follicle #Botany #PlantScience 🌾🧪

Photo of a large, single flower. The petals are showy, large, & pink. The stamens are many and surround the carpels, which are green and separate. The stigmatic crest is pink. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.

Peony flowers are perfect examples of #apocarpy, as their carpels are large and easy to see. This is Paeony mascula, whose 3 free carpels are visible, even without dissecting the flower. It's another reason to love #peonies! #Paeoniaceae #Botany #PlantScience 🌾🧪