Deptford Pink, Grass Pink, Wild Pink

Dianthus armeria

dy-AN-thus  ar-MER-ee-uh

Synonyms of Dianthus armeria (20) (Updated on 12-14-22 from Plants of the World Online): Caryophyllus armerius Moench (1794), Cylichnanthus maculatus Dulac (1867), Dianthus armeria f. acaulis Bolzon (1911), Dianthus armeria f. alba Stritch (1983), Dianthus armeria f. albiviridis J.H.Lehr (1963), Dianthus armeria f. caespitosa Bolzon (1911), Dianthus armeria var. glabratus Rouy & Foucaud (1896), Dianthus armeria f. glabrissimus Sigunov (1977), Dianthus armeria var. laevis Heuff. (1858), Dianthus armeria var. uniflorus Rouy & Foucaud (1896), Dianthus carolinianus Walter (1788), Dianthus epirotus Halácsy (1898), Dianthus hirsutus Lam. (1779), Dianthus hirtus Lam. (1779), Dianthus hybridus F.W.Schmidt ex Tausch (1830), Dianthus pseudocorymbosus Velen. (1910 publ. 1911), Dianthus villosus Gilib. (1782)(opus utique oppr.), Dianthus vivariensis Jord. ex Boreau (1857), Gypsophila armeria var. nanus Boenn. (1824), Silene vaga E.H.L.Krause (1901)(not validly publ.)

Dianthus armeria L. is the accepted scientific name for this species of Armeria. The genus and species were both named and described as such by Carl von Linnaeus in the first volume of the first edition of Species Plantarum in 1753.

As of 12-14-22 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online lists 346 accepted species in the Armeria genus. The Armeria genus is a member of the plant family Caryophyllaceae with a total of 101 genera. Those numbers could change periodically as updates are made on POWO.

The above distribution map for Dianthus armeria from Plants of the World Online, by permission, shows where the species is native in green and where it was introduced in purple. The map on the USDA Plants Database is somewhat different.

The map on iNaturalist shows where members have made observations. Anyone can join and it is a great website to confirm and share your observations. The maps on iNaturalist are continually updated as members post new observations.

THERE ARE SEVERAL LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING AND TO HELP WITH A BETTER POSITIVE ID.

I have seen Dianthus armeria growing on the family farm in west-central Missouri but I took these photos while working on a friend’s farm north of town.

This delightful Dianthus armeria commonly known as Deptford Pink or Pink Grass grows just about everywhere in Kevin’s pasture and a few areas here on the farm. Although it is considered a native Missouri plant, it is not originally from North America. Although they are plentiful in “poorer” soils, they don’t compete well with other plants where the ground is more fertile. In other words, they are not pushy. The leaves are high in saponins which makes them fairly unattractive to livestock. Most photos online show plants with white spots on the petals, but as you can see in the above photo, these seem to have maroon spots. Hmmm…

Sorry about the blurriness of the above photo. I always take a lot of photos, but sometimes they come out blurry and I have to choose the best. If the photos were taken here on the farm I can go back and take more.

On June 12 in 2020 while cleaning out the dead leaves in the row of Daylilies in the back of the same friends home south of town, I found this cluster of Dianthus armeria.

I pulled it up because I found out all those flowers were from a single plant and I wanted to get a photo for this page. There were a few more but I left them to grow.

<<<<2022>>>>

I found a few Dianthus armeria while walking through the main hayfield on the farm on June 26 in 2022. I thought a couple of photos was in order.

I have enjoyed photographing and learning about the many wildflowers growing on the farm and other areas. I have grown over 500 different plants and identified over 250 species of wildflowers (most have pages listed on the right side of the blog). I am not an expert, botanist, or horticulturalist. I just like growing, photographing, and writing about my experience. I rely on several websites for ID and a horticulturalist I contact if I cannot figure them out. Wildflowers can be somewhat variable from location to location, so sometimes it gets a bit confusing. If you see I have made an error, please let me know so I can correct what I have written.

I hope you found this page useful and be sure to check the links below for more information. They were written by experts and provide much more information. If you can, I would appreciate it if you would click on the “Like” below and leave a comment. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. You can also send an email to me at thebelmontrooster@yahoo.com. I would enjoy hearing from you especially if you notice something is a bit whacky. Sometimes I make a mistake when I am writing (that we will blame on the keyboard, mouse, or Grammarly) and may not notice until the next update.

FOR FURTHER READING:
PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
INTERNATIONAL PLANT NAMES INDEX (GENUS/SPECIES)
TROPICOS (GENUS/SPECIES)
FLORA OF NORTH AMERICA (GENUS/SPECIES)
WORLD FLORA ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
WIKIPEDIA (GENUS/SPECIES)
DAVE’S GARDEN
MISSOURI PLANTS
iNATURALIST
WILDFLOWER SEARCH
USDA PLANTS DATABASE
ILLINOIS WILDFLOWERS
MINNESOTA WILDFLOWERS
KANSAS WILDFLOWERS AND GRASSES
GO BOTANY
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY

NOTE: The data (figures, maps, accepted names, etc.) may not match on these websites. It depends on when and how they make updates and when their sources make updates. Some websites have hundreds and even many thousands of species to keep up with. Accepted scientific names change periodically and it can be hard to keep with as well. Some of the links may use a name that is a synonym on other sites. In my opinion, Plants of the World Online by Kew is the most reliable and up-to-date plant database and they make updates on a regular basis. I make updates “at least” once a year and when I write new pages or add new photos but I do get behind. We are all a work in progress. 🙂