would like to know what this is

I seen this flower at a park and it was just getting dark and there was alot of humming bird moths swarming all over it .. which i just love these guys ... so i would like to know what it is so i can hopefully get this plant .. thanks for any help with this ..

Marn

 

Saponaria officinalis or Bouncing Bett (Bouncingbet). It is an introduced plant from from Eurasia. Sapo=soap, one flora says that rubbing the leaves with water raises a lather due to the saponin in the plant. Also look for the two appendages at the top of the claw, on each petal.

See

http://www.wildflowers.reach.net/bouncingbet.html

for a few nice photographs.

And a description at

http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/saponariaoffi.html



Harry

 

Saponaria officinalis = Soapwort

 

Bouncing Bet, Soapwort, Hedge Pink, Old Maid's Pink, World's Wonder, Bruisewort, Fuller's Herb, Sweet Betty, Lady by the Gate, Wild Sweet-William and Goodbye to Summer have all been used for this plant.

 

thanks Ron for the name of it ... i wouldnt mind gettin some of it for the Humming Bird Moths .. i just love those guys ... spent all summer with them last yr in my backyard .. ive had them in my hands wizz right by my head .. flutter at my face .. got lots of good pics of them .. they just love sweet peas ...

Marn

 

The double form is prevalent here.

 

there might have been more there that looked a lil diff it was gettin hard for me to see them . it was just gettin dark and they were on the side of a little cliff to a river .. so i couldnt get to far over .. as it was i had to hand my camera to my hubby so i could get back up cause i was squating on the side of the cliff ..lol. trying to get some pics of the hummingBird Moths .... ill have to chek again in the day time . it was just in LaGrande Or at Riverside Park ..

Marn

 

Soapwort is the standard name for it (i.e., as used in Floras) - all the others are insignificant minor names.

 

but i think it is cool it has alot of diff names ... and thank you Ron for takeing the time for giveing out all the names ...

Marn

 

Bouncing Bet is the principal common name over here.

 

A common name is bound to be local, whether the usage is common to a country or common to a county, ie blue lips for Collinsia parviflora. Up to now I have been only including a seemingly widely accepted common name as a point of reference, that is just another way to Google it. But realizing that this great forum is from Canada and has participants from all over the world, it is expected that there will be significant differences in common names between wherever you are and here.

Harry