The peony or paeony (/ˈpiːəni/) is any flowering plant in the genus Paeonia, the only genus in the family Paeoniaceae.
Peonies date back 4,000 years, and much of peony symbolism is woven through history and mythology. Peonies get both their name and their association with beauty and shyness from Greek myth. Paeonia was a beautiful nymph who attracted the attention and affection of the god Apollo.