The genus Paeonia is of the Paeoniaceae family, formerly of the Ranunculaceae or buttercup family. The Greek physician Paeon, for whom the Paeonia species derived its name, used peonies for medicinal purposes.

Herbaceous peonies are shrubs with glossy green leaves on reddish stems that bear flamboyant spring flowers with a pleasurable fragrance. The single or double flowers range in shades from red to white.

Tree peonies are taller than the herbaceous peonies with larger blossoms and a base and branches with bark.

An invincible cutflower with a pleasant fragrance the Sarah Bernhardt peony, named after the fiery extraordinary Victorian actress, has been around for nearly 100 years.