Rock's Peony
Encyclopedia
Rock's peony or Rock's tree peony (Paeonia rockii, also Paeonia suffruticosa subsp. rockii) is a woody species
of peony
that was named after Joseph Rock
. It is one of several species given the vernacular
name tree peony
, and is native to the mountain
s of midwestern China
, mainly in Gansu
and adjoining provinces. In Chinese
, it is known as 牡丹 (pinyin
: mǔ dān) or 牡丹皮 (pinyin: mǔ dān pí), and its flower is called 牡丹花 (pinyin: mǔ dān huā). It became the unofficial national flower of China following a nationwide referendum in 1994.
in Asia and the west. Like Paeonia lactiflora
, another Chinese peony species, it is used as a herbal remedy in traditional Chinese medicine
.
of these hybrids, called Gansu Mudan and Zhongyuan Mudan, or North-West Chinese cultivar group. The European-grown Suffruticosa Group (Paeonia × suffruticosa) also belongs here.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of peony
Peony
Peony or paeony is a name for plants in the genus Paeonia, the only genus in the flowering plant family Paeoniaceae. They are native to Asia, southern Europe and western North America...
that was named after Joseph Rock
Joseph Rock
Joseph Francis Charles Rock was an Austrian-American explorer, geographer, linguist and botanist.-Life:He was born in Vienna, Austria, but emigrated to the United States in 1905 and moved to Honolulu, Hawaii in 1907, where he eventually became an authority on the flora there...
. It is one of several species given the vernacular
Vernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
name tree peony
Tree peony
Tree peony can refer to any member of the plant genus Paeonia that has a woody habit, including:*Paeonia delavayi, Delavay's tree peony*Paeonia ludlowii, Ludlow's tree peony*Paeonia rockii, Rock's tree peony...
, and is native to the mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
s of midwestern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, mainly in Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
and adjoining provinces. In Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, it is known as 牡丹 (pinyin
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: mǔ dān) or 牡丹皮 (pinyin: mǔ dān pí), and its flower is called 牡丹花 (pinyin: mǔ dān huā). It became the unofficial national flower of China following a nationwide referendum in 1994.
Uses
Paeonia rockii is cultivated as an ornamental plantOrnamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
in Asia and the west. Like Paeonia lactiflora
Paeonia lactiflora
Paeonia lactiflora, also Chinese Peony , and common garden peony is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Paeoniaceae, native to central and eastern Asia from eastern Tibet across northern China to eastern Siberia...
, another Chinese peony species, it is used as a herbal remedy in traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...
.
Rockii-hybrids
Tree peony hybrids with Paeonia rockii as one parent are called Rockii-hybrids. In China there are several cultivar groupsCultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
of these hybrids, called Gansu Mudan and Zhongyuan Mudan, or North-West Chinese cultivar group. The European-grown Suffruticosa Group (Paeonia × suffruticosa) also belongs here.