| Description | Fern Leaf Peony (Paeonia tenufolia) is an early blooming Peony with single red flowers that seem to float atop a herbaceous shrubby plant with ferny foliage. Flowers close at night and open during the day, which is called nyctinasty. |
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| Pronunciation | (PEE-uh-nee) |
| Plant Type | Perennials Hardy, Site author's observations |
| Hardiness Zone | 3 |
| Sunlight | full, mostly sunny, some shade |
| Moisture | average |
| Soil & Site | average |
| Flowers | single red with golden yellow stamens in the center, one flower per stem, flowers close at night and open during the day (nyctinasty), five carpels per flower, mid-May, hot, dry temperatures will lessen the length of bloom |
| Fruit | black to brown seeds in a follicle |
| Leaves | green, finely cut, fernlike, feathery |
| Stems | goes dormant in the fall |
| Roots | Genus name comes from the Greek name for Paeon, physician of the gods. The specific epithet means slender leaves in reference to its fern-like leaves. |
| Dimensions | 18-24 inches tall. three-year-old plant in my garden is 24 by 36 inches |
| Maintenance | very little, removal of dead flowers, cutting back in the fall |
| Propagation | division in the fall, seeds are tough and need to be scratched (scarification) using sandpaper or file; the scarification allows for the water to enter the seed and requires warm cold stratification |
| Native Site | Southeastern Europe, Caucasus Mountains |
| Cultivar Origin | It has been cultivated in Germany since 1594 and was introduced to England in 1765 and America in 1806 |
| Misc Facts | Genus's name comes from the Greek name for Paeon, physician of the gods. The specific epithet means slender leaves in reference to its fern-like leaves. AKA: Paeonia tenuifolia, Fernleaf Peony, Steppe Peony, Fennel-Leaved Peony, Mothers Day Peony. Slender-Leaved Peony, Paeonia carthalinica |
| Author's Notes | We received a division of this plant three years ago (2020), and each year it has produced more and more flowers (2023). The provenance of this plant is it originated in Illinois, USA, circa 1920 to 1930s. A plant from Somonauk, Illinois, was moved to a garden in Muskego, Wisconsin, USA, and we received a division around 2020. |
| Notes & Reference | #160-Peonies (Allan Rodgers), #163-The Genus Paeonia (Josef Halda, James Waddick), #273-Gardenia (www.gardenia.net), #274-Site Authors' observations and growing experiences , |
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