Paeonia officinalis

Common Peony (Paeonia officinalis subsp. Officinalis) in the natural habitat

The Common Peony (Paeonia officinalis), also True peony, farmers Peony, Garden Peony, farmer Rose, Buerrose, Button Rose, Pumpelrose, Balle Rose, gout Rose, Church Rose, Church Flower, Benedictine Rose, Antoni Rose ( it blooms usually around the 13th of June, the Feast of St. Anthony of Padua ) and Pfaffarose called, belongs to the genus of peonies (Paeonia ) in the family of peony plants ( Paeoniaceae ). Varieties of Commons peony are used as ornamental plants in parks and gardens.

Description

The Real peony grows as a perennial herbaceous plant that reaches the plant height of 60 to 100 centimeters. For example, achieved the kind of Paeonia officinalis cv. ' Rubra Plena' stature heights of about 40 to 60 centimeters. The individual stems are unbranched. In its heyday, there are no undergraduate leaves present. The stem leaves are stalked. The leaf blade has a diameter of up to 30 inches and is in three parts to the petiole, hairy dark green on top and bald, gray- and -fitting. The leaf sections are simply pinnate 1st order and the 2nd order fiederteilig.

The flowering period is between May and June. The very large flowers are terminal individually. The hermaphrodite flowers are radial symmetry and fünfzählig. The natural form has five sepals, which are unequal in shape and length; they are green to red and fall right off after fertilization. The five to ten petals ( they have no honey glands, unlike some Ranunculaceae ) are red, 4 to 8 inches long, oval and larger than the sepals. The flowers of some varieties are filled and have a diameter of about 7 to 13 centimeters. The colors of the varieties can be very different. The flowers of the natural form are not filled. The peony has numerous yellow stamens, which fuse at their base to a fleshy ring, which secretes nectar ( in contrast to the buttercup ). The two or three carpels are free.

The white hairs hairy follicle is up to 5 centimeters long.

The chromosome number is 2n = 20; the species is tetraploid.

Ecology

The Real Peony is a rhizome - Geophyt with tuberous roots. The Vegetative propagation is by root suckers. There is a smooth transition from the basal, stalked, divided foliage leaves on stem leaves sessile to typical sepals, to which in some cases are still Spreitenreste.

Ecologically flowers are large, vorweibliche " pollen - disk flowers ". The petals are colored red by the anthocyanin Paeolin.

With 3.6 million pollen grains is present here the highest known pollen grain number per flower. The Real Peony is a pollinator of particular value. Pollinators is pollen viewfinder of many species, such as honey bees. At the sepals of flower buds crystallizing sugar water is released, which is taken up by various insects, especially ants, the latter probably offer the young buds some protection against being eaten by animals.

The bloom two or more follicles develop. The show opened fruit in addition to the normal shiny black seeds still red seeds with show function. The propagation is done by larger ants, it will probably spread by birds instead of editing. The seeds are rich in oil, refrigeration and light to germinate.

Occurrence

The Real Peony is a southern European Florenelement. It occurs throughout the Mediterranean from Portugal to Albania, Asia Minor and Armenia before. Northward enough to the area in the Western Alps ( France ), for Südalpenrand ( in Switzerland and Italy), in the South Alps ( Slovenia ) and in the Danube River Basin in Hungary. In the northern Alps she was naturalized or cultivated varieties in wild ( for example on the Swiss Plateau and in Bavaria).

The nature of the rights peony thrive on calcareous, mostly shallow soil, stone, summer-dry mountain slopes and sparse downy oak and hop hornbeam - bushes. Late grazing seems to tolerate this well.

In Switzerland, their locations from the ( colline to ) are montane to subalpine altitudinal zone at altitudes between 640-1680 meters above sea level. In Italy locations are known 100-1800 meters above sea level). The common peony grows along the Alpine south slope in light deciduous forests ( Ostryo carpinifoliae - Fraxinetum orni and transitions to Cephalanthero - Fagenion, Quercion pubescenti - petraeae ) and annually mown or dense and verbuschenden Molinia arundinacea or Brachypodium pinnatum stocks ( successional stages of Mesobromionerecti ), at higher altitudes, it also grows naturally in forest-free, species-rich grasslands. ( Habitat type: 6.3.5 ( 4.2.4) Ecological indicator values ​​. F2 R4 N3 H3 D3 L3 T3 K2)

Subspecies

The Real peony occurs in four ways:

• Paeonia officinalis subsp. banatica ( Rochel ) Soó, it occurs in Hungary, Romania and the former Yugoslavia
• Paeonia officinalis subsp. microcarpa ( Boiss. & Reuter ) Nyman, she is found in Spain and Portugal
• Paeonia officinalis subsp. officinalis, it is found in France, Switzerland, Italy, Albania and the former Yugoslavia
• Paeonia officinalis subsp. villosa ( Huth ) Cullen & Heyw. , it occurs in southern France and in Italy.

Toxicity

The peony is classified as slightly toxic in all its parts.

Active ingredients: According to older data Peregrinin. However, the effect of the carrier is not known.

Poisoning: flowers and seeds can cause vomiting, colic and diarrhea gastroenteritis.

Special

The peony cropped up again and again in the herb books of the Middle Ages. Since it was brought by the Benedictines of the Alps, they also got the name " Benedictine Rose". From the monastery gardens, they quickly found their way into the cottage gardens. In the late Middle Ages was the filled form of " Paeonia officinalis ". In Christian symbolism it stood for wealth, healing, female beauty and was considered a " rose without a thorn".

Use

Varieties of the Real peony be used as an ornamental plant (usually gefülltblütige varieties) in parks and gardens. You can use peonies as long-lasting cut flowers.

Use as a medicinal plant

As a medicinal drug were used: The dried petals filled rotblütiger garden forms, the dried root and the fresh underground parts of plants.

Active ingredients: In the flower anthocyanins as Paeonin, flavonoids and tannins. In the roots Monoterpenesterglykoside as paeoniflorin and Gerbsroffe.

Application: The peony was earlier than so-called " gout Rose" in the People's wedge customer a wide range of therapeutic indications. Since no effect of the numerous indications so far could be detected, the peony as a medicinal plant in traditional medicine today meaningless.

On the other hand irritation were observed in the gastrointestinal tract after ingestion of petals, roots or seeds in a higher dose is recommended that an application today.

Poem by Eichendorff

The peony is also the subject of a poem by Joseph von Eichendorff: