The flowers are white, pink, or red, 3–4 cm diameter, produced singly or in small clusters from spring to mid summer.

Below the flower stand four bracts, which reach to half of the calyx; they are ciliated and point upward.

The color of the petals ranges from white to pink to dark red, the middle is often pigmented darker.

[3] The plant has a large distribution area in East Asia, which includes not only China, but also Korea and eastern Russia, to the northwest it still occurs in Mongolia and Kazakhstan.

It is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant, both in China and elsewhere across temperate regions of the world; numerous cultivars have been selected for garden use.