Xuanjun Fang

Institute of Life Science, Jiyang College of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800; Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 311800, China
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Horticulture, 2023, Vol. 13, No. 5   doi: 10.5376/ijh.2023.13.0005
Received: 03 Apr., 2023    Accepted: 11 Apr., 2023    Published: 21 Apr., 2023

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Fang X.J., 2023, Tracing and etymological study on peony and Mudan, International Journal of Horticulture, 13(5): 1-5 (doi: 10.5376/ijh.2023.13.0005)

Peony and Mudan both originated in China. Mudan came after peony, which has been recognized by the academic community and internationally. However, where did peony and Mudan come from and where did they distribute, and what are the similarities and differences between them? There has always been controversy, and there is also a lack of historical documents to support it. This study attempts to clarify and study previous existence of Peony and Mudan and their relationship with Chinese civilization from the perspective of natural history and etymology. This study shows that peony was widely planted or picked in the Spring and Autumn Period 2400 years ago; 2000 years ago in the Han Dynasty, Mudan had been differentiated from peony and evolved into an independent variety. 1400 years ago in the Tang Dynasty, Peony and Mudan were clearly distinguished, especially in the middle and late Tang Dynasty (7th century AD).

Peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.); Mudan (Paeonia×suffruticosa Andr.); Etymology; Natural history; Traceability