Painting of Chinese herbaceous peony (hongyaozi) in the meticulous (gongbi) style, in colour on silk, from Bencao tupu (Illustrated Herbal). The painted illustrations in Bencao tupu were jointly executed by Zhou Hu and Zhou Xi in 1644 (the final year of the Ming period). The explanatory texts were provided by Zhou Rongqi. The book was not completed: each volume was to have contained 14-15 paintings, but only 29 are extant.
Zhou Rongqi writes: Chinese herbaceous peony grows in Shaanxi. The leaves resemble buckwheat (qiaomai, Fagopyrum esculentum) and the stalks are red. It has white flowers which bloom in the seventh lunar month. The root is purplish red when fresh, but turns yellow when dried in the sun. The root tuber is used in medicine. Its sapor, thermostatic character, and medical properties are the same as for dioscorea bulbifera (huangyaozi).
