The peony is a flowering
plant in the genus Paeonia, the only genus
in the family Paeoniaceae. They are native to
Asia, Southern Europe and Western North America. Boundaries between species are not clear and estimates of the
number of species range from 25 to 40. Most
are herbaceous perennial plants 0.5–1.5 metres tall, but some resemble trees 1.5–3 metres tall. Source
