  | Description: Form: Fleshy, bushy perennial herb 1 – 2 feet high with dark green, deeply dissected leaves. May occur in colonies.
Leaves: Large, alternate leaves, dark green above and paler below, that are deeply divided into long finger-like points.
Flowers: Many single, heavy, nodding, terminal flowers ¾ - 1 inch with dark blackish-red, leathery sepals and deep red petals. The rounded flower never opens wide and has numerous stamens. Reduced leaves often attached to flowers. Slight scent of licorice.
Blooming: Jan - April.
Plant Community: Coastal Sage and Chaparral.
Uses: Spanish Californians ate the raw root (tuber) for stomachache while Indians used it in powdered form for lung ailments, colds and sore throats. A tea of peony root is believed to relieve certain types of stress.
Common name: aka California Peony.
Latin name: Named after Paeon, the Greek physician to the gods. Same genus as the garden peony from Asia, P. californica is endemic to California. Color: red
Season: January, February, March, April,
Community: Chaparral, Coastal Sage Scrub,
Use: Medicinal, Horticultural,
Origin: Native |
