English: Himalayan peony.
Chinese: Duo hua shao yao, meaning "multi-flower peony".
Punjabi: Mamekhor; Mamekh.
Urdu: Ood-e-saleeb,meaning "with-a-cross".
Hindi: Ood salap
Region: east Asia, Himalayas, Pakistan, Nepal.
Habitat: forest, scrub, woodland edges; often gregarious; altitude 1800 to 2500 metres; prefers amongst shrubs, some shade, deep rich soil, neutral or slightly alkaline; doing well in sun or light shade, prefers part shade; intolerant of waterlogged or too dry soil; lime tolerant; frost tolerant.
Use: ornamental; Chinese medicine; young shoots, cooked.
BotanyHerb; perennial; robust; 100 cm tall; long-lived plant, for 50 years; young branches are brittle and very subject to wind damage; grows slow; winters with buds underground, so-called hemicryptophyte.
Leaves: large; deeply incised.
Flowers: large; white.
Root: strongly resents root disturbance.
Pollination: by insects; self-fertile.