| Common Baby's-breath | |
|---|---|
| Gypsophila paniculata | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Core eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Caryophyllaceae |
| Genus: | Gypsophila |
| Species: | G. paniculata |
| Binomial name | |
| Gypsophila paniculata L. |
|
Gypsophila paniculata, commonly known as Baby's-breath, is a cultivated ornamental garden plant in the Caryophyllaceae family, popular in the florist trade (see illustration) to provide a background for more colourful flowers.
Originally from Eastern Europe, its natural habitat is on the Steppes in dry, sandy and stony places, often on calcareous soils (gypsophila = "chalk-loving"). Specimens of this plant were first sent to Linnaeus from St Petersburg by the Swiss-Russian botanist Johann Amman. It is cultivated in Peru corresponding to a large portion of this country's flowers exports. [1]
Gypsophila paniculata is now widely distributed in North America. [2] It is classed as an invasive species in places around the Great Lakes, such as the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore [3] and the Chicago region, [4] and in the Pacific Northwest. [5]