Common Peony vs koala

Paeonia officinalis compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

Common Peony is Least Concern while koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Peony	koala
Kingdom	Plantae (plantas)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (cordados)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order	Saxifragales (Saxifragales)	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Paeoniaceae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Paeonia	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Paeonia officinalis	Phascolarctos cinereus

Conservation Status

Common Peony

LC — Least Concern

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Peony	koala
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	75 cm
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Peony

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found across Europe (9 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

koala

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, forests, and vegetated habitats.

Range

Found in Australia. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Peony

<em>Paeonia officinalis</em>, the common peony, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Paeoniaceae, widely cultivated for its large, showy flowers ranging from deep red to pink and white. In the wild, it typically grows in open woodlands, scrublands, and rocky hillsides across southern and central Europe, with native or naturalised populations documented in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Canada, and numerous other European and North American countries. The species prefers well-drained soils in partially shaded to open positions and produces large, deeply divided leaves alongside its ornamental blooms, which appear in late spring. <em>Paeonia officinalis</em> has a long history of medicinal and ornamental use spanning millennia, and numerous cultivated varieties have been developed. It is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, reflecting stable populations in many parts of its native range, though wild populations can be locally threatened by over-collection, agricultural expansion, and habitat conversion. Biological traits such as average lifespan of individual plants, precise dimensions, and detailed dietary or metabolic data remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. The species plays a role in supporting pollinators, particularly beetles and bees that visit its flowers.

koala

Icônico marsupial do leste e sudeste da Austrália, os coalas pesam até 15 kg e passam até 22 horas diárias dormindo para conservar energia de sua dieta de folhas de eucalipto, com baixo teor calórico. Altamente especializados para processar os compostos tóxicos do eucalipto que matariam a maioria dos outros mamíferos, possuem microbiomas intestinais unicamente adaptados para a destoxificação. Classificado como Em Perigo em 2022, com populações dizimadas pela doença de clamídia, desmatamento e mudanças climáticas.