Botanical cultural appropriation
All hail the tree peony, as I did a few days ago in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It’s that time of year, and the Brooklyn garden has a huge display of these gorgeous plants, which feature enormous blossoms that look like velvet or crepe paper or silk.
Hmmm—velvet or crepe paper or silk, all of which seem to have originated in China. As does the tree peony.
The tree peony was originally a Chinese plant, cultivated there for beauty and medicinal purposes for about the last 1500 years. In the eighth century peonies traveled to Japan and became popular, then to England in 1787 and next the rest of Europe, arriving in the US in 1820. Is this isn’t cultural appropriation? Then so be it. It just points out how preposterous the concept is.
The tree peonies at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden are not just lush and plentiful, but they also have a special history. They were sent from the Japanese town of Yatsuka-Cho in orde “to bring peace of mind to people in the United States” after the events of September 11, 2001. The first shipment ran into a longshoreman’s strike, and languished in containers on the docks at Long Beach, California for 6 weeks with predictable results: their demise. The next shipment made it, and those are the peonies growing in Brooklyn today.
Here are some of the photos I took:
You’ve reminded me of my departed mother with these pictures. She started growing them after a visit to the Butchart Gardens in Victoria, B.C. years ago. The flowers can be spectacular with blooms measuring a foot across.
Have a nice Mother’s Day, Neo.
You forgot the fragrance, neo
Intoxicating, thick,. Luscious !
Neo, thank you so much for the beautiful pictures, and the history as well.
In my mind, peonies — the old-fashioned ones — are my birthday flower, since the many planted around our house by my Grandma and Mother usually came into bloom a few days ahead of Memorial Day (the real Memorial Day, Snark) and provided the flowers, just for me. Very thoughtful of the plants … or perhaps the Great Frog. :>)
Department of interesting(?) trivia:
A species of tree peony, Paeonia rockii, is named after the famous botanist and plant hunter, Joseph Rock.
According to Wikipedia:
During the Ngolok rebellions (1917-1949) Rock witnessed repeated battles by the Ma Clique’s Chinese Muslim army against the Ngolok Tibetans in Xiahe County and Labrang Monastery. The Ma Muslim army left Tibetan skeletons scattered over a wide area, and the Labrang monastery was decorated with decapitated Tibetan heads. After the 1929 battle of Xiahe near Labrang, decapitated Tibetan heads were used as ornaments by Chinese Muslim troops in their camp, 154 in total. Rock described “young girls and children”‘s heads staked around the military encampment. Ten to fifteen heads were fastened to the saddle of every Muslim cavalryman. The heads were “strung about the walls of the Moslem garrison like a garland of flowers.”
@ cornflour yuck ghoulish, someone’s head is so emblematic of who they are it is hideous behavior to be disrespectful in that way
Of course Euros did this too& Aztec & Kathy Griffin making a revolting attempt at humor. She got the response she deserved, may it continue
Luscious photos! I have always loved peonies, though they are hard to grow in northern New England. Thanks, and Happy mother’s day!
I have a Japanese maple growing in my courtyard. Due to the gray hole that is history, I cannot affirmatively remark whether it was appropriated or emigrated.