By Nicole Tarnowsky, Lisa Lall

Apr 26 2024

The beautiful blooms of peonies are gracing us with their presence in the Dolores DeFina Hope Tree Peony Collection at NYBG!

The genus Paeonia is native to many temperate regions of the northern hemisphere and peonies have been cultivated as early as the 6th century in China. The woody tree peonies are in section Moutan and are from central and southern China. Herbaceous peonies in the Paeonia section of the genus are found in the Mediterranean and Eastern China. There are two species native to western North America in the section Onaepia: Paeonia brownii and P. californica.

Enjoy a selection of both cultivated and naturally occuring peonies with their beautiful blooms preserved in the Herbarium.