#saponaria

[francescointoppa]

Saponaria rossa (Saponaria ocymoides L., Caryophyllaceae)

[mardelina]

🌼 @mardelina 🌼

[faguscarolinensis]

Saponaria ocymoides / Rock Soapwort at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC

[therooteddiaries]

[wildflowers-of-southern-ontario]

Common Soapwort Saponaria officinalis Caryophyllaceae

Photographs taken on October 7, 2021, along the Culham Trail, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

[wenbochenphoto]

Soapwort of NE Turkey: Saponaria prostrata, what a cutie! 匍茎肥皂草

[katiajewelbox]

Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis) is a wildflower that does “exactly what it says on the tin”. This wild plant of meadows and forests across Europe and Western Asia evolved high concentrations of the chemical saponin in its stems and roots to deter herbivores. While saponins are toxic if ingested by humans and other animals, these chemicals are very useful for cleaning because they cause grease and fats to dissolve in water. These chemicals are called surfactants, and synthetic versions are found in soap, washing up liquid, shampoo, and shower gel. In the past, country folk made their own cleaning products for wool and other delicate textiles using soapwort.

[monmorgandy]

Saponaria ocymoides by Giuliano Da Zanche Via Flickr: Saponaria ocymoides (Caryophyllaceae) (111 22 Saponaria ocymoides is a species of semi-evergreen perennial flowering plant belonging to the family Caryophyllaceae, native to southwestern and southern central Europe. 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, on dry slopes, and in forests (especially pine forests). It prefers calcareous soils, at an altitude of up to 1,500 meters, rarely up to 2,400 meters. Reaching a height of 10–40 centimeters, 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) petals and blue anthers Source: Wikipedia.