What are the differences between dahlias and peonies? Learn to tell them apart at a glance
Dahlia is also known as the "heavenly peony" and "oriental chrysanthemum." It is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Dahlia in the family Asteraceae. Its appearance closely resembles the peony flower, so many people mistake them for the same plant. So what are the differences between dahlias and peonies?
Difference 1: Different families and genera
Dahlia is a perennial herbaceous plant in the plant kingdom, Angiosperms, Dicotyledons, Sympetalae, Asterales, Asteraceae, Tubuliflorae, Heliantheae, genus Dahlia; peony is a perennial herbaceous plant in the plant kingdom, Angiosperms, Dicotyledons, Dilleniales, Paeoniaceae, Paeonioideae, genus Paeonia.
Difference 2: Different morphology
Dahlia has huge club-shaped tuberous roots, upright stems with many branches, 1.5-2 m tall, leaves 1-3 times pinnately parted, large capitulum inflorescences with long peduncles, often drooping, achenes oblong, flowering from June to December, fruiting from September to October; peony tuberous roots grow from below the root crown, fleshy, thick, spindle-shaped or long columnar, buds clustered on the root crown, stems clustered from the roots, about 50-110 cm tall, flowers generally solitary at the top of the stem or near the top in leaf axils, follicles spindle-shaped, oval, bottle-shaped, etc., seeds black or dark brown, large, round, oblong or pointed-round, flowering from May to June.
Difference 3: Different distribution
Dahlia is also known as Dali flower, heavenly peony, oriental chrysanthemum, dahlia chrysanthemum, passionflower, sweet potato flower, etc. It is native to Mexico and is the most widely cultivated ornamental plant in the world. It was introduced to China in the early 20th century, and is now cultivated in many provinces and regions; peony is also known as Jiangli, Licao, Lanweichun, Yurong, Lishi, Meiguhua, Heiqianyi, Hongyao, etc. In China it is distributed in Jiangsu, Northeast China, North China, Shaanxi and southern Gansu. In Northeast China it is distributed on mountain slopes and in forests at an altitude of 480-700 m, and in other provinces it is distributed on mountain slopes at an altitude of 1000-2300 m. It is also distributed in Korea, Japan, Mongolia and Siberia.
Difference 4: Different medicinal effects
Dahlia is pungent and sweet in taste, neutral in nature, enters the liver meridian, and has the effect of promoting blood circulation and dissipating blood stasis, mainly treating traumatic injuries and other conditions; peony is bitter and sour in taste, slightly cold in nature, enters the liver and spleen meridians, and has the effects of nourishing blood and astringing yin, soothing the liver and relieving pain, and calming liver yang. It is used for irregular menstruation, uterine bleeding, deficiency sweating, acute abdominal pain, hypochondriac pain, limb cramps, headache and dizziness, and other conditions.