05522
Paeonia 'Wei Zi'

type: [tree peony] – [suffruticosa group] – [China central plains cultivar group]

chinese name:

translation of the name:

Wei's Purple, Wei Flower

Ouyang Xiu (1034) Records of Luoyang Peony

The WEI FLOWER has multiple petals and flesh-red flowers. It originated with the minister Wei Jen-p'u's family. At first a woodcutter in the Shou-an Mountains noticed the flower, took a cutting and sold it to Mr. Wei. Mr. Wei's ponds and buildings were vast and it is related that when the flowers came to bloom, those who wished to see them were charged a dozen cash or so, embarked upon a boat and taken across the lake to the flowers' location. Mr. Wei thereby collected a dozen or so strings of cash every day. Later, falling on hard times, he sold his gardens. Now the woods and lakes behind the P'u-ming temple occupy these grounds. The monks here tilled this land and planted mulberry and wheat. A great number of the flowers were distributed among the local families. Someone counted its petals and stated that there were as many as seven hundred. Ch'ien Ssu-kung once said, "People call the tree peony the 'king of flowers.' Now, if the YAO YELLOW can indeed be considered the king. then the WEI FLOWER is the queen."

Purple, crown shaped flowers on sturdy stalks, flower size 5" with a dense fragrance; leaves small, light green with purple edge; plant height to 3 feet; a strong grower, a late bloomer.





Carsten Burkhardt's Web Project Paeonia - The Peony Database

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