How do you recognise Tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa)?

Leaf

Syrio, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Tree peony

Paeonia suffruticosa Andrews

Also known as: Moutan peony, Moutan

Family: Paeoniaceae

1 to 1.5 m tall

Sheltered beds and rich, free-draining soils; cultivated in China for over a thousand years, now in Europe as a collector's shrub

Flowering: April – May

Full sun

Part shade

Hardy to about -25°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

Unlike the herbaceous peonies of our gardens, the tree peony keeps a woody framework all year round — in China, it is traditionally nicknamed the "queen of flowers" and has been cultivated for centuries for its huge flowers.

🍃 Leaves

Deciduous, large, deeply cut, glaucous green, decorative even outside the flowering season

🌸 Flowers

Very large, single to fully double, in a range of colours (white, pink, red, yellow, purple), often strongly scented

🍎 Fruits

Leathery follicles splitting open to release glossy black seeds

🪵 Bark

Woody branches persisting through winter, unlike herbaceous peonies

🗺️ Distribution

Native to China, cultivated and selected since Chinese Antiquity, introduced to Europe in the 18th century

🐝 Value for pollinators

Flowers pollinated by insects, notably cockchafers and bees for the abundant pollen

✂️ Horticultural uses

Prestige shrub planted as a specimen or in borders for its exceptional flowering; unlike herbaceous peonies, it is not cut back to the ground each year

⚠️ Possible toxicity

Bark, roots and, to a lesser extent, flowers and stems contain paeonol, mildly toxic if ingested by dogs, cats and horses (digestive upset).

🌿 Other Paeoniaceae to discover

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.