1. The origin of the two
They belong to both Ranunculaceae and Paeonia, so there must be many similarities between them, even it is easy to be unclear. In fact, there is no difference between the two ancient plants. Later, there was the saying of "wood peony" and "grass peony". After that, "wood peony" became what we now call peony; "grass peony" is what we now think of as peony. In compendium of Materia Medica, there are records about them.
2. Main differences
(1) the former is a kind of herbaceous plant, with roots and tubers. The latter is a woody plant, specifically a deciduous shrub.
(2) their stems are not the same. The stem of the first plant is herbaceous. In a certain season, after falling leaves, the ground part of it will die. The stem of the second plant is woody. After falling leaves, the parts on the ground can remain immortal.
(3) their leaves are also different. The former has narrow leaves, and both sides are dark green. The latter has wide leaves, green on the front and yellow on the back.
(4) their flowers are different. The former's flower diameter is about 15 cm, while the latter's is about 20 cm.
(5) their florescence is also different. The former in late spring and early summer, the latter in March or so, that is, early spring.
