Perennial perennial herb, about 1 m high. It has spindle-shaped tuberous roots and produces new buds in underground stems, which are pulled out of the ground in early spring. The first leaves are red, and there are often scaly deformed leaves at the base of the stem. The middle leaves are compound twice and thrice, the leaflets are rectangular or lanceolate, and the branches are smaller or simple. Flowers are large and beautiful, fragrant and have single branches; The petals are white, pink, red, purple or red, and the flowering period is April-May. The ancients commented on flowers: peony comes first, peony comes second, which means peony is the king of flowers and peony is the phase of flowers. Because it blooms late, it is also called "Dianchun".
There are about 35 species of Paeonia distributed in temperate regions of Europe and subcontinent, which are divided into two categories according to their growth habits and disk shapes. One is peony group, which is deciduous shrub or subshrub. Its disk is cup-shaped or disk-shaped, leathery or fleshy, completely covering carpels or covering the base of carpels. There are three species (not including varieties) in China, namely peony, yellow peony and purple peony. The second group is Paeonia lactiflora, which is a perennial herb with undeveloped disk and covering the carpel base. There are about 30 species of Paeonia lactiflora, mainly distributed in temperate regions of Europe and the subcontinent. There are two other varieties that produce America, some of which are classified as another group, called American peony group.
Paeonia plants produced abroad are all important flower varieties, of which four are the most important: Paeonia fern with blood-red flowers, native to Bulgaria and Caucasus; Pale yellow peony with pale yellow or light green to white flowers, native to the area between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea; Paeonia lactiflora, yellow, native to the area between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea; Red peony, white to crimson, originated in southern Europe.
There are 8 species and 6 varieties of Paeonia in China, among which Paeonia is usually called Paeonia directly, which is the main original species of modern Paeonia varieties. Eight kinds of peony are: herbaceous peony, beautiful peony, peony, peony, peony, peony, peony, peony, peony and peony.
Paeonia lactiflora is famous for its white, red and purple flowers, which are mainly distributed in eastern Sichuan, Guizhou, western Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hubei, northwestern Henan, southwestern Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei and northeast China. It is also distributed in Korea, Japan and the Far East of the Soviet Union. Its variety is peony.
Beautiful peony flowers are red, mainly distributed in northeastern Yunnan, western Guizhou, south-central Sichuan, southern Gansu and southwestern Shaanxi.
Peony flowers are white, sometimes with dark purple patches at the base, mainly distributed in Northeast China, North China, Shaanxi and southern Gansu. Korea, Japan, the Mongolian People's Republic and the Soviet Union Siberia are also distributed, and the variety is Paeonia lactiflora.
Paeonia multiflora is white, mainly produced in southern Tibet, but also distributed in Nepal and northern India.
Paeonia lactiflora is produced in southern Tibet.
The flowers of Chuanchi are mostly purplish red or pink, mainly distributed in eastern Tibet, western Sichuan, eastern Qinghai, Gansu and southwestern Shaanxi. Its varieties are Maohongyao, Naked Fruit Hongyao and Single Flower Paeonia Rubra.
The flower of Paeonia lactiflora in Xinjiang is red, which is produced in Altai mountain area of northern Xinjiang.
Peony with narrow leaves is purple, which is produced in Altai Mountain and Tianshan Mountain in northwest Xinjiang. Peony variety tuberose.
Peony is not only a famous flower, but also its root can be used as medicine. According to analysis, the roots of Paeonia lactiflora contain paeoniflorin and benzoic acid, and their uses vary from species to species. Paeonia lactiflora in traditional Chinese medicine mainly refers to the root of Paeonia lactiflora, which is a medicine for relieving spasm, relieving pain and regulating menstruation. Can be used for treating abdominal pain, stomach spasm, dizziness, gout, diuresis, etc. The roots of Paeonia lactiflora cultivated species are generally used as Paeonia lactiflora, because their roots are fat and straight, and the quality of processed products is good. Wild peony is only sold as peony because of its thin roots. Traditional Chinese medicine red spoon is white peony root, which has the effects of removing blood stasis, promoting blood circulation, relieving pain and clearing away liver heat. It is mainly used to treat irregular menstruation, abdominal pain due to phlegm and blood stasis, joint swelling and pain, chest pain and costal pain.
The seeds of Paeonia lactiflora can be pressed into oil, used to make soap, and can also be used for paint mixing and coating. Roots and leaves are rich in tannin, which can be used to extract gum and also used as soil insecticide to kill soybean aphids and prevent wheat straw rust.
Paeonia lactiflora has large flowers, many colors and rich varieties. They are often planted in gardens, and when they bloom, they are very spectacular. They are the main flowers in modern parks or flower beds. Or planted in strips along paths and roadsides, or planted on the edge of woodland, with short and creeping flowers. Sometimes one or two or three plants are planted to appreciate their special types and colors. There is also a special garden composed entirely of peonies, called Peony Garden.
Paeonia lactiflora is an important cut flower, either inserted into a bottle or used as a flower basket. If the bud is cut off when it is ready to be put, it can be kept for several months. The main variety used as cut flowers is double petals; A single vase will fade in a few days.
Peony cultivation has a long history. According to textual research, it was cultivated in Chang 'an area in Han Dynasty. Peony-rich areas often change with the change of dynasties, followed by Yangzhou after Sui and Tang Dynasties and flourished in Song Dynasty. Liu issued a spoon of medicine spectrum? The preface says: "The famous flowers in the world, Luoyang peony and Guangling (Yangzhou) peony, are a strong project." Materia Medica says: "Peony ... is everywhere, and Yangzhou is the best". Zhou Wenhua's "History of Runan Gardens" said that "Yangzhou Peony is the best in the world". Chen Haozi's "Flower Mirror" also thinks that "peony is the best in the world."
Yangzhou peony has been highly respected in the works about Shaoyue since the Song Dynasty, but in the Song Dynasty, the prosperity of planting peony was not limited to Yangzhou. Liu awarded the peony spectrum? The preface said, "From Guangling to Gusu in the south, Sheyang in the north, Tongzhou Sea in the east and Chuzhou and Hezhou in the west, it is hundreds of miles, and everyone is tired of it."
Peony Cultivation Center in Ming Dynasty moved to Bozhou, Anhui Province, and moved to Cao Zhou, Shandong Province (now Heze, Shandong Province) in Qing Dynasty, and then moved to Fengtai, Beijing. "Tianjin Analysis Diary" records: "In the old days, Yangzhou peony flourished ... Now there are few species left in Yangzhou, but Fengtai, the capital of Beijing, has beds ...", which shows that it was flourishing at that time.
Paeonia lactiflora is cold-resistant and can overwinter in the open air in northern China. Deep loam is the most suitable soil, moist soil is the best, but drainage must be good. Water accumulation, especially in winter, is easy to rot the fleshy roots of Paeonia lactiflora, so low-lying land and saline-alkali land are not suitable for planting. Paeonia lactiflora likes fertilizer, the nursery should be deeply turned, and fully decomposed manure should be applied to grow best in sunny places.
Cultivation of peony flowers
Propagation and cultivation
1. Breeding. Plant propagation, sowing and root cutting, in which plant propagation is simple and widely used, and seed propagation is only used to cultivate new varieties.
(1) Lamian Noodles. The division of Paeonia lactiflora must be carried out in autumn, which is beneficial to the healing of root wounds, the germination of new roots and the enhancement of cold and drought tolerance. It is easy to branch prematurely in autumn, which affects the growth of the next year; If plants divide too late, new roots will not grow in that year, and new plants will weaken or even die in the next year. The agricultural proverbs "Peony at the vernal equinox will not blossom when you are old" and "Seven peony, eight peony" are all valuable experiences. When dividing plants, carefully dig out the fleshy roots first, then carefully split along the natural texture with a sharp knife, with 3-5 buds in each cluster, and cut off the rotten roots, taking care not to hurt the buds. Each 3-year-old mother plant can be divided into 3-5 clusters. After branching, it is slightly dry in the shade and planted when the wound forms a soft scar. If the soil is wet, there is no need to water it to prevent the wound from rotting. The branching years of Paeonia lactiflora vary according to the cultivation purpose. For flower bed planting or cut flower cultivation, it is 1 time in 6-7 years and 1 time in 3 15 years.
(2) Root cutting. In autumn, the collected peony roots are cut off, cut into small pieces with the length of 5- 10 cm, and inserted into the dug ditch with the depth of 10- 15 cm, covering 5- 10 cm of broken soil, so that it can seep 1 time.
(3) Stratification. In spring, the tender stem of Paeonia lactiflora is introduced into the flowerpot through the bottom hole of the flowerpot with a diameter of about 15-20 cm, and soil is continuously added to the flowerpot with the growth of the stem. Always keep the soil in the basin moist, and roots will grow from the stems in summer. Cut off the stems under the flowerpot and become potted peony.
(4) cutting. The suitable cutting time is about two weeks before flowering, and the cuttings are taken from the middle of the stem. The root-cutting spike consists of two sections, which are inserted into the sand layer in the hotbed, and the depth is 3-4 cm. It can take root in 45-60 days and form dormant buds. In September, the root system developed well and the dormant buds expanded.
(5) sow peony. When the seeds are ripe, they should be sown together with the harvest. The later sowing, the lower germination rate. Sowing ground should be leeward and sunny, well drained and rich in humus. Before sowing, combine with applying base fertilizer, plow more than 20 cm, and then plow and rake vertically and horizontally for 3-4 times. There are two methods: drill sowing and hole sowing. Row spacing of drilling is 40cm, sowing depth is 8-7cm, spacing between plants is 3-4cm, and soil is covered after sowing; The hole spacing is 20-30 cm, and 4-5 seeds are planted in each hole. The plant height of 1 year-old seedlings is about 3-4 cm, only 1-2 leaf length, root length 10- 14 cm, and the diameter is about 0.4-0.8 cm. There are 1 terminal buds in the root neck above ground. 2-year-old seedlings grow faster and faster, with plant height of 25-30cm, root length of12-16cm, root diameter of1.4-1.6cm, 6-8 fine roots and 2 terminal buds at the root neck. In general, it can be transplanted from summer to the Millennium. Well-developed seedlings can bloom in 4-5 years.
cultivate
(1) Planting peony. Row spacing and plant spacing are 70cm, 90- 100cm respectively. The layout of planting points should be convenient for viewing and rich in hierarchical changes. If it is a terrace, it can be planted into a plum blossom shape. If it is a nursery, it is mostly a "tofu block shape". The depth of the cave is 2 1-24 cm, and the diameter of the hole is 18 cm. Then, the plants are spread out and put in the hole. When the soil is half filled, slightly lift the root to make the root closely combined with the soil. It is not appropriate to plant it too deep or too shallow. If it is too deep, the bud will not grow easily. If it is too shallow, the roots and neck will be exposed to the ground, and plants will die easily in summer. After planting, cover a mound with a height of 9 ~ 12 cm to prevent cold.
(2) management. 4-5 days before the tender buds of Paeonia lactiflora are unearthed, the piles of soil in winter must be removed. After scraping the soil, the leaves need to be cultivated frequently to weed after withering. Under normal circumstances, intertillage weeding 10- 12 times a year, and peony should be well fertilized. The general fertilization period is as follows: after the leaves bud, the green leaves spread out in an all-round way, and the buds develop vigorously. After flowering, the buds begin to germinate and consume a lot of nutrients, which is the most urgent period in the whole growth process. At this time, if the fertilizer can't keep up, it will affect the fullness of new buds and the growth and development of the next year; In order to promote germination, 1 double winter fertilizer should be applied after the first frost. Pay attention to the coordination of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium when applying fertilizer, especially the organic fertilizer rich in phosphorus. Paeonia lactiflora is not tolerant to waterlogging. If it is too dry, it will grow badly. Moderate humidity is a necessary condition for its good growth, so pay attention to watering when it is dry, drain it in time when it rains, and keep it moist and dry. Before flowering, Paeonia lactiflora has 3-4 lateral buds besides the terminal buds. In order to make the terminal buds big and bright, the lateral buds should be removed after the terminal buds appear, so that nutrients can be concentrated in the terminal buds.
(3) pest control. The main diseases and pests of Paeonia lactiflora are black spot, which is very harmful. First, dark brown spots appear on the leaves, and then they expand into non-plastic wheel lines, which are connected with each other and make the green leaves die. It can be prevented by spraying Bordeaux mixture or 500 times zineb. White silk disease, which infects the plant base, first appears dark brown spots, and then white hyphae appear on the soil surface and the plant base. It is serious when it is rainy and hot in summer. When planting, the soil can be disinfected or replaced with sterile soil; Cut or pull out diseased plants and burn them. Spray 50% carbendazim wettable powder 500 times regularly before onset. Rust, when flowering, small yellow-brown spots began to appear on the leaves, which quickly expanded into orange spots and then scattered yellow powder. Branches, leaves, buds and fruits of Paeonia lactiflora can be infringed. Zineb can be sprayed 500 times, or 0.3%-0.4% thiophanate-methyl mixture can be sprayed regularly, and every 10- 15 days, for 3-4 times continuously. Aphids stab people's leaves with mouthparts and suck juice, which makes the leaf edge curl to the bottom and turn yellow. After the seedlings grow up, aphids often gather on the tender tips, flower stalks and leaf backs, which makes the stems and leaves curl and shrink, and when it is serious, the whole plant withers. 4% dimethoate or 2.5% derris seed can be sprayed to protect natural enemies of aphids, such as ladybugs, aphid-eating ropes and lacewings.