What is the difference between tree peony and herbaceous peony? Learn how to tell them apart

When it comes to brilliant, enchanting flower colors, everyone thinks of the tree peony, known as the “national beauty and heavenly fragrance.” Since ancient times, the tree peony has been a subject for poets and painters, and it is deeply favored by them. The herbaceous peony is a flower somewhat similar in shape to the tree peony, so where is the difference between tree peony and herbaceous peony? Let us take a look together below.

1. Where is the difference between tree peony and herbaceous peony?

1. Different leaf shape

Generally speaking, the biggest difference between tree peony and herbaceous peony is the leaf shape. The herbaceous peony is a perennial herbaceous plant with large leaves that do not fork, while the tree peony is a woody flowering plant whose leaf tips have three points and many forks; moreover, tree peony leaves are green with a touch of yellow and have a powdery substance underneath, while the surface of herbaceous peony flowers is dark green but very dense.

2. Different flower color

The flower colors of the tree peony are generally mostly red-purple, pink, and white, and the common ones are irregular in shape, while the herbaceous peony has rich flower colors, mainly including white, pink, red, purple, yellow, green and many other colors, and its petals can reach as many as a hundred, whereas the tree peony mostly has around 5 petals.

3. Different flower shape

The flowers of the tree peony generally grow singly, and the flower shape is relatively large, while those of the herbaceous peony are one or more terminal flowers, and the flower shape is smaller compared with the tree peony; moreover, the tree peony usually has around 5 buds, while the herbaceous peony has around 5 to 10 buds.

4. Different stems

The stem of the tree peony is woody and thick, and generally does not wither after the leaves fall, while the stem of the herbaceous peony is herbaceous and almost always withers after the leaves fall; the stems can reach about 2 m tall, while the tree peony is mostly about 50 cm to 80 cm, so this point makes it easier to distinguish them.

5. Different flowering period

Herbaceous peonies are generally planted in spring, and then their flowering period is in May to June, which is also the best time to view herbaceous peonies, while the flowering period of the tree peony is in April and its fruiting period is in May; this is also the best way to distinguish the two.

6. Different fruit

Generally, the fruit of the herbaceous peony is spindle-shaped, while the fruit of the tree peony is almost always five-angled; moreover, the herbaceous peony usually has 2 to 8 fruits, each with 1 to 5 seeds, while the tree peony fruit is brown and turns orange-yellow when ripe.

2. What are the common pests and diseases of tree peony?

1. Diseases

Leaf spot: Diseased stems and leaves are the source of infection for this disease. It often occurs in spring and summer, mainly harming leaves and stems, and leaf stalks are also affected. Control method: When diseased stems and leaves are found, cut them off promptly, and sweep up fallen leaves and burn them in a centralized way; before and after the onset of the disease, spray 1:1:100 Bordeaux mixture once every 10 days for several consecutive times.

Tree peony rust: Diseased plant residues and leaves are the source of infection for this disease. It mostly occurs in April-May under alternating sunny and rainy conditions, warm and humid conditions, or in low-lying areas, mainly harming leaves, and the disease is severe from June to August. Control method: After harvest, gather diseased plant residues and leaves and burn them in a centralized way; choose land that is high and dry with good drainage and plant on raised beds; in the early stage of the disease, spray 0.3-0.4 degree Be stone sulfur mixture or 97% dinitro-o-cresol sodium 400 times, once every 7-10 days for several consecutive times.

Sclerotinia disease: Soil carrying sclerotia is the source of infection for this disease. It mostly causes disease in stems and leaves in spring. It can occur from the seedling stage to the mature plant stage. Control method: Rotate with cereal crops; when there is a lot of rain in spring, do a good job of clearing ditches and draining water, reduce humidity, and lessen the disease; when diseased plants are found early, dig them out with soil, disinfect the diseased holes with lime, and if necessary spray the surrounding area with 50% thiophanate-methyl 1000 times solution.

Root rot: Diseased residues in the soil or seedlings are the source of infection for this disease. It mainly harms the roots. The disease is severe in rainy seasons, and as the condition worsens, the whole plant dies. Control method: Same as the control of Sclerotinia disease.

Tree peony southern blight: Soil and fertilizer carrying the pathogen are the source of infection for this disease, especially when sweet potato or soybean is the previous crop, the disease is severe. It mostly occurs around flowering, when roots and rhizomes are affected in hot and rainy seasons. Control method: Rotate with gramineous plants, and it is not suitable to rotate with root-type medicinal plants or crops such as sweet potato, peanut, and broad bean; when planting, soak the seed buds with 50% thiophanate-methyl 1000 times solution; when diseased plants are found, dig them out with soil and burn them, and disinfect the diseased holes with lime.

2. Insect pests

White grub: The larva of the copper-green chafer. It is harmful throughout the year, and most severe from May to September. It harms the roots, biting them into uneven holes or broken remnants, causing the aboveground parts to grow weakly or die, seriously affecting yield and quality. Control method: In the morning, dig open the damaged seedlings and plants and catch and kill them; use light traps to kill adults; pour the roots with 50% phoxim emulsifiable concentrate or 90% trichlorfon 1000-1500 times solution; use 3% carbofuran granules at 2 kg per mu, mixed with 20-50 kg of moist fine soil; apply along the ridges in combination with cultivating and weeding.

Black cutworm: Also called "earth silkworm," it is a polyphagous underground pest. It is generally most severe in spring and autumn, often biting off seedlings at the ground or eating young shoots that have not emerged, causing missing seedlings and broken plants. Control method: Before sunrise in the early morning, manually catch and kill them near the damaged seedlings; in the young larval stage, spray with 98% trichlorfon crystal 1000 times solution or 50% phoxim emulsifiable concentrate 1000 times solution; in the older larval stage, poison bait can be used for trapping and killing; per mu, dissolve 100-150 g of 98% trichlorfon crystal or 50% phoxim emulsifiable concentrate in 3-5 kg of water, spray it on 15-20 kg of chopped fresh grass or other green manure, mix evenly while spraying, and scatter it along the rows around the seedlings in the evening, which can achieve a very good control effect.

Termites: Because applying cake fertilizer often easily attracts termites, they bore into and eat the root bark, damage tender buds, and after being damaged the leaves curl and turn yellow. Control method: Apply cake fertilizer before termites come out of their holes, and do not let it touch the roots; pour the roots with new tea seed cake water or 50% phoxim 200-500 times solution.

Stem borer: It mostly occurs in spring. Adults lay eggs at the rhizome, and after hatching, the larvae bore into the roots and gradually eat upward; in mild cases the stems and leaves wither and turn yellow, and in severe cases the whole plant dies. Control method: When damaged plants are found, break the rhizome and kill the pests; spray with 80% or more trichlorfon 800-1000 times solution, or apply 2.5% trichlorfon powder per mu.