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Dianthus armeria
Caryophyllaceae The Pink Family Deptford Pink also known as Grass Pink. Annual. Flowers clustered. Leaves opposite, linear, and hairy. Five small petals, rose-colored with white dots. Petals erose (with the margin irregularly toothed).
Fields, roadsides, clearings, and other open, disturbed habitats. Found in nearly every US state and Canadian providence, Dianthus armeria is now endangered in its native England. According to The Wildlife Trusts of the UK the "Deptford Pink has declined rapidly in range and is now known to inhabit only about 15 sites in the UK." The decline has been attributed to the intensification of agriculture and the removal of hedgerows.
Etymology: The name Deptford Pink derives from "Gerard's Herbal" of 1633 which described a different species of pink (Dianthus deltoides) growing in the fields of Deptford outside of London: "There is a little wilde creeping Pinke, which groweth in our pastures neere about London, and in other places, but especially in the great field next to Deptford, by the path side as you go from Redriffe to Greenwich." (John Gerard 1633). armeria = Latinized from the old French name armoires for a cluster-headed dianthus
Spotted on Jun 19, 2016
Submitted on Jul 19, 2017
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