Paeonia Suffruticosa "Yao Huang"

Paeonia suffruticosa "Yao Huang" is one of the four most famous varieties of peony. This deciduous shrub boasts an upright growth, slender branches, and short, thick twigs. Its leaves are typically bi-ternate, with terminal leaflets that are broadly ovate, glabrous green on the surface and pale green or sometimes powdery white on the underside. The leaves are sparsely pubescent or nearly glabrous along the veins. Flowers are solitary at the branch tips, with five oblong bracts and five sepals of varying sizes. The bracts are green, broadly ovate, and of varying sizes. The flowers are crown-shaped or golden-ring-shaped, with rounded, pointed buds that often split at the ends. The petals are pale yellow. The filaments are white above, the anthers are oblong, the disc is leathery, cup-shaped, and purple-red, and the five carpels are densely pubescent. The fruit follicles are oblong and densely covered with yellowish-brown hairs. Flowering occurs in May, and fruiting occurs in June. Paeonia suffruticosa "Yao Huang" originated from the home of Yao Chong at Bai Sima Slope, at the foot of Mang Mountain in Luoyang during the Song Dynasty. Its initial bloom is light yellow, turning golden yellow in full bloom. This variety boasts a corolla that rises above the leaves, producing uniform, full-bodied blossoms with a delicate fragrance, earning it the nickname "King of Flowers." Its pale yellow flowers, resembling a crown, exude a sense of grandeur and nobility. The Yao Huang peony was mentioned in Ouyang Xiu's "Records of Luoyang Peonies" from the Northern Song Dynasty. Its robust growth, high flowering rate, uniform, full-bodied blooms, and rich fragrance have earned it the recognition of the "King of Peonies."