#Dianthus armeria

[wildflowers-of-southern-ontario]

Deptford Pink Dianthus armeria Caryophyllaceae

Photograph taken on September 23, 2022, at Marmora and Lake, Ontario, Canada.

[faguscarolinensis]

Dianthus armeria / Deptford Pink on the Flatirons Vista Trail in Boulder, CO

[thebashfulbotanist]

This Wednesday’s Weed is Dianthus armeria, a really pretty flower found here in Lewis County, Washington State, where it does not belong. It’s native to Europe, but has been spread to North America and New Zealand. Its common names include grass pink and Deptford pink. Dianthus flowers are called pinks not because they’re often pink (and they really are!), but because of the serrate petals that look almost as if they were cut with pinking shears. In fact, the color pink was named for Dianthus pinks!

[thebelmontrooster]

Hot And Dry Wildflower Walk, 6-4-23

Leucanthemum vulgare (Oxeye Daisy) on 6-4-23, #943-60. Hello, everyone! I hope this post finds you well. I decided to go for a wildflower walk on Sunday afternoon even though it was bright and sunny and the temperature was already almost 90° F. There was a nice breeze, so it wasn’t so bad. We haven’t had much rain and it seems many of the wildflowers I usually see are non-existent. Only the…

[konjaku]

虫取撫子[Mushitorinadeshiko] Atocion armeria

虫[Mushi] : Insect, worm

取[Tori] : To catch, to capture

撫子[Nadeshiko] : Dianthus

Although it has the meaning "to capture insects", it is not an insectivorous plant. It is just that insects are attached to the mucus secreted by the upper leaves. It is native to Europe, was introduced in the Edo period(1603-1868). Today, it become wild and is commonly seen here and there in sunny places.

Another name is 小町草[Komachisō]. It is said to have been named 小町[Komachi], a representative noun for a beautiful woman, because of the gentle appearance of its flowers. 撫子 also means an adorable, caressable girl. Both of these names were already in existence during the Meiji period(1868-1912). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ono_no_Komachi

[starfragment1979]

Before I got sick, I was very much an outdoorsy person, which is one reason that becoming housebound had been so hard for me. A week or two ago I was in the kitchen waiting for the kettle to boil and a dragonfly happened to zip past the window, and I realized with a start, holy shit, I have not seen a dragonfly all summer. Because I'm just not outside. Which just fucking kills me, it really does.

But before I got sick, I spent years and years trying to learn about the plants and bugs and birds and everything around me. The city I live in is full of trails and parks and wilderness, and there's a lot of nature within walking or biking or public transit distance from anywhere in the city, and I was out in it as often as possible, and god I just miss the outside world so much.

Anyway, a lot of that knowledge is still in my head, and a lot of my learning was focused on urban nature, because as someone who's never gotten their driver's license, that was all that was available to me most of the time. But there's still a lot of nature in the city! Even without going off into the trails and parks. You just need to know where to look for it.

The problem is that a lot of wildflower field guides focus on the rare and showy and ornate flowers--because they make for pretty pictures and people buy books with pretty pictures. But that means that the growing-through-cracks-in-the-sidewalk weeds are often harder to identify, even though those are the kind of wildflower that people are more likely to see every day, because they're written off as too common to be worthy of notice or because they grow in abandoned lots or along the overgrown edges of alleyways or some other unseemly location.

So my point is, at some point in the past two decades I had misidentified this little flower as deptford pink (Dianthus armeria) and the ID just stuck in my head. But when I was writing out the alt text for my last post I realized that was wrong, but I couldn't figure out what it actually was. And it bothered me that I couldn't figure it out, that there's this super common weedy flower that I've been calling wild pinks for years and they're not wild pinks but wtf are they and am I really so out of touch with the outside world that I can't figure this out etc etc etc spiraling into gloom.

But this morning during my daily morning bed flop, I brought a bunch of my wildflower books up with me and did some better research, and I did have to make one wobbly trip down the stairs and back outside to go touch the stems to make sure they're sticky, but now I have successfully (I think) ID'ed it as dwarf sweet william catchfly (scientific name is either Silene armeria or Atocion armeria).

And like it feels so good that I was able to figure this out, that I can still learn new things even when I'm stuck at home or in bed so much of the time and that I can still make new plant friends.

[dru-reblogs-stuff]

It's been a while since I did a plant-update! So have some pretty pictures of my pretty outdoor plants.

The Dianthus has given it's first flowers of the season, and I got a new plant to join it! That's Sea Thrift (Armeria maritima armada), the domestic cousin of a wildflower which is found commonly along coastal cliffs in my part of the world.

The strawbs are starting to look healthier than they were, though I haven't seen any flowers or hint of berries yet. I remain optimistic.

Similarly, the bluebs bush is looking happier than last year, with lots of little white flowers which indicate lots and lots of fruit 😋️ When the housemate commented on how pretty it looked with all the flowers, I mentioned that meant we "were in for a fine harvest"... which promptly spurred lots of friendly mocking about "Farmer Dru", "combine harvesters" and "huge tracts of land" 🙄️😅️

The winter heather has been moved along to the only-just-accessible side of the balcony to make space for some promised tomato plants. I've also been promised some more flowers, so I think I'm going to need that second over-balcony basket soon.

The indoor plants are fine too - the amaryllis didn't get watered until too late in the season I think, so it's just stuck out this one long leaf. The Aloe is doing what Aloes do. The Bird of Paradise plant still hasn't flowered, just puts out a new leaf every few months - it's needed to be repositioned because it was trying to attack the window. The zebra plant and cactus are probably the most grumpy with me. They really need potting out, but I need to rummage Mum's greenhouse for correct sized pots first. Succulents don't like going up pot sizes too fast and I don't have anything appropriate.

The various LEGO flowers need dusting, but otherwise look beautiful too 😉️

[dsthingsandstuff]

Dianthus armeria

[deathtek]

6/8/21

[wildflowers-of-southern-ontario]

Deptford Pink Dianthus armeria Caryophyllaceae

Photograph taken on July 21, 2023, at Mono Cliffs Provincial Park, Mono, Ontario, Canada.

[cedar-glade]

Deptford Pink,

Dianthus armeria

A native to Europe, now fairly invasive in the Appalachian Mountains.

Although this photo was taken in TN, there wasn’t one point of any excursion in Appalachia where i did not see this coming up in a trail opening.

[scriptflorist]

flowers for a forbidden (particularly lgbt+) romance? bonus if they can be found in scandinavia ✨

aIt has been ages, but we have an ask floating around this blog about secret relationships. Which is essentially what this comes down to in flower language. Even better we have a little secret love tag as forbidden as a meaning doesn’t exist. So let’s start with that, and see what we can add to that.

You might also find our feelings of love tag interesting. (An umbrella tag for romantic and platonic.)

Victorian flower language

alstroemeria – devotion

amaranth (globe) – unfading love, immortality

amaryllis – pride, timidity, splendid beauty, haughtiness

ambrosia – love returned

anemone – forsaken, frailty

apple – temptation

aspen – excessive sensibility, lamentation, fear, groan

butterfly orchis – gaiety

carnation (red) – my heart aches for you, admiration, my heart breaks

citronella – homosexual love

cobaea – gossip

dogwood – love undiminished by adversity, durability

evergreen thorn – solace in adversity

flora’s bell – without pretension

honeysuckle (coral) – the colour of my fate

lily (yellow) – gay, gratitude

locust tree (green) – affection beyond the grave

milk vetch – your presence softens my pains

mistletoe – I will rise above all, I surmount (all) difficulties, kiss me, affection, difficulties, I climb to greatness, parasite

mullein – take courage, good nature

pine (spruce) – hope in adversity

poplar (black) – courage

protea – courage

rosebud (stripped of thorns) – I fear no longer I hope

spindle tree – your charms are engraven on my heart

toothwort – concealment

willow (french) – bravery and humanity

wormwood – do not be discouraged, absence

Hanakotoba

alstoemeria – longing for the future, sustainability, exotic

astilbe – visit of love, freedom

azalea (white) – happy to be loved by you, satisfaction

chamomile – power born from adversity, endure adversity

cleome – secret meeting, drunk on your appearance

crown-of-thorns – endure adversity, kiss early

deutzia crenata/ utsugi – secret, old-fashioned

dracaena fragrance (tree of happiness) – happiness that cannot be hidden, happiness

edelweiss – courage, important memories

gladiolus – secret meeting, beware, memory, oblivion, victory

iris/ayame (kakitsubata) – happiness always comes

loquat – secret confession, confessing to you, healing

mimosa (acacia) – secret love, friendship

nigella – secret joy, embarrassment

primula (red) – secret of beauty, achievements without trust

stock (white) – secret love, compassion

Some of the above, or rather some species of the above can be found in Scandinavia. Be aware however that we cannot vouch for either flower language having had exactly this particular species in mind given their origin. Yet there is also no way to say a more general application doesn’t work. (A primrose is a primrose regardless of species to most people).

Denmark

pines of Denmark

primula veris

Norway

artemisia norwegicia

primula veris

salix arbuscula/salix artica/salix lantana (all willows but none of them the French willow)

Sweden

salix arbuscula/salix artica/salix lantana (all willows but none of them the French willow)

Iceland

salix arctica/salix phylicpholia (both willows, but also not the French willow)

Faroe Islands

salix arctica/salix lantana/salix phylicpholia (all willows, but also not the French willow)

Finland

dianthus armeria

salix arbuscula/salix lantana/salix phylicpholia (all willows, but also not the French willow)

That being said even if the flowers above aren’t native to Scandinavia, given the right circumstances they could still grow, or be bought. However, my instructor once did tell us how costly flowers are in northern countries due to the cold temperatues and more specificically that it seems to be custom to add an extra sheet of packaging for each degree below 0°C.

– Mod Jana

Disclaimer

This blog is intended as writing advice only. This blog and its mods are not responsible for accidents, injuries or other consequences of using this advice for real world situations or in any way that said advice was not intended.

[konjaku]

虫取撫子[Mushitorinadeshiko] Silene armeria

虫[Mushi] : Insect, worm

取[Tori] : To take, to catch, to capture

撫子[Nadeshiko] : Dianthus

Native to Southern Europe. It was introduced as an ornamental during the Edo period (1603-1868,) and has become wild today. It is so named because it glues insects with mucus secreted from upper part of the stem. But it is not an insectivorous plant.

It is also known as 小町草[Komachisō]. 草[Sō] means grass. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ono_no_Komachi

[zoology-time]

Deptford Pink, Dianthus armeria

[fischotterkunst]

Deptford Pink (Dianthus armeria), native to Europe but naturalized in North America. cannot emphasize enough how tiny this gorgeous little flower is - no bigger around than the head of a tack

7/7/22

[speakingofnature]

Deptford Pink

This Deptford Pink (Dianthus armeria) was found glowing in the early morning shadows of a sand prairie.