Paeonia ostii

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Paeonia ostii

Family: (Paeoniaceae)

(P) to 5′. Osti’s Tree Peony. China. Named for Dr. Gian Lupo Osti, President of the International Dendrological Society. This woody peony is very floriferous with six-inch wide, sweetly fragrant, pure-white flowers with ruffled edges. In the centre of the flower is a cluster of pistils with prominent red stigmas surrounded by a mass of stamens with yellow anthers and pink filaments. When the petals drop, the big, fleshy receptacle is exposed with a green, drooping calyx and fat fruits/carpels with the still-prominent red stigmas, all together resembling a court jester’s hat. The attractive, medium green foliage is deeply divided into oval to lance-shaped leaflets on red petioles and is good-looking throughout the season. A real show-stopper in our Order Beds. Sun/partial shade. 3 & 6A