''Saponaria ocymoides'', the rock soapwort or tumbling Ted, is a species of semi- evergreen perennial flowering plant belonging to the family Caryophyllaceae, native to south western and southern central Europe.

Etymology

The Latin

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''ocymoides'' means “resembling basil” ('' Ocimum''). However the resemblance is superficial, as the two plants are not closely related. In fact ''Saponaria ocymoides'' belongs to the same family as pinks and carnations.

Description

Reaching a height of , the stem is prostrate to ascending, woody, reddish, quite hairy and very branched. The leaves are ovate to lanceolate, sessile and hairy, 1–3 cm long. The five-petalled flowers are arranged in groups at the ends of branches. They have red or pink (rarely white)

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s and blue

anther The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s. The sepals are fused in a tube about an 8 to 10 millimeters long. The flowering period extends from May to August in the Northern Hemisphere. The fruit is an ovoid capsule, up to 9 mm long.

Distribution

This species ranges from the mountains of Spain to Corsica, Sardinia and Slovenia, from the Apennines to the Alps. It grows in rocky and stony places, dry slopes and forests (especially pine forests). It prefers calcareous (

alkaline In chemistry, an alkali (; from ar, القلوي, al-qaly, lit=ashes of the saltwort) is a base (chemistry), basic, ionic compound, ionic salt (chemistry), salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as ...

) soils, at an altitude of up to , rarely up to .

Cultivation

''Saponaria ocymoides'' is cultivated as an ornamental plant for

rock garden A rock garden, also known as a rockery and formerly as a rockwork, is a garden, or more often a part of a garden, with a landscaping framework of rocks, stones, and gravel, with planting appropriate to this setting. Usually these are small A ...

s and dry stone walls, in well-drained alkaline or neutral soil in full sun. Like most alpine plants it dislikes winter wetness around its roots. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

Gallery

File:Saponaria ocymoides Atlas Alpenflora.jpg, Illustration from Atlas der Alpenflora File:Saponaria ocymoides subsp alsinoides.jpg, Plant in Corsica File:Caryophillaceae - Saponaria ocymoides-1.JPG, File:Caryophillaceae - Saponaria ocymoides-3.JPG,

References

External links

Biolib

''Saponaria ocymoides''

Gardening
{{Taxonbar, from=Q159596 Caryophyllaceae Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus