Paeonia anomala
Family: Paeoniaceae
What it is like
A perennial plant. It grows about 50 cm high. It spread to about 50 cm across. The leaves are finely divided. There are fine hairs on the main veins. The leaves are bluish-green underneath. The leaves become orange in autumn. It only has one flower on a stem. The flower is bright red.
There are about 30-35 Paeonia species. There is only one genus in the Paeoniaceae family.
Where it is found
It is a temperate plant. It grows on the edges of forests and on rocky hillsides. It does best in neutral or alkaline soils. It can grow in sun or light shade. It cannot survive waterlogging or extremely dry soils. It can tolerate frost. It suits hardiness zones 5-9. In Sichuan and Yunnan.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, Australia, Central Asia, China, Europe, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Siberia, Slovenia
How it is used for food
The root is dried and cooked with protein foods. The young shoots are eaten cooked.
Edible parts
Leaves, root, leaves - tea
How it is grown
Seeds should be sown while fresh. Stored seeds germinate very slowly. Plants suffer from root disturbance. Seedlings can only be transplanted with care. Plants grown from dividing the rootstock establish slowly.
Plants take 4-5 years to flower from seed. Plants can live for 50 years.
Its other names
Local names
Rumeno milje