The Philatelic Bureau of the Department of the Post issued new Definitive postage stamp in the denomination of Rs. 30.00 depicting Peony Flower on the 10th March 2012.

The peony is named after Paeon(also spelled Paean), a student of Asclepius, the Greekgod of medicine an healing. Asclepius became jealous of his pupil; Zeus saved Paeon from wrath of Asclepius by turning him into the peony flower. The family name “Paeoniaceae” was first used by Friedrich K. L. Rudolphi in 1830, following a suggestion by Fredrich Gottlieb Bartling that same year. The family had given other names a few years earlier. The composition of the family has varied, but it has always consisted of Paeonia and one or more genera that are now placed in Ranunculales. It has been widely believed that Paeonia is closest to Glaucidium, and this idea has been followed in some recent works. Molecular phylogenetic studies, however, have demonstrated conclusively that Glaucidium belongs in Ranunculaceae, but that paeonia belongs in the unrelated orderSaxifragales.

Peonies can be classified by both plant growth habit and flower type. Plant growth types are Herbaceous(Bush), tree and intersectional(Itoh). Each flower type becomes more complex in its arrangement of petals. The flower types include single (Eg. Athena, Dad, Krinkled White, Scarlet O’Hara, Sea Shell) Japanese(Nippon Beauty, Madame Butterfly), Anemone, Semi-Double)Paula Fay, Coral Charm, Miss America, Buckeye Belle), Double(Ann Cousins, Gardenia, Kansas, Paul M. Wild, Tourangelle) and bomb-Double(red Charm, Raspberry Sundae, Mons Jules Elie). Herbaceous peonies die back in winter and regrow in spring, while tree peonies lose their leaves in winter, but leave woody stems.