Dianthus plumarius
| Dianthus plumarius | |
|---|---|
| Dianthus plumarius, garden pink | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Core eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Caryophyllaceae |
| Genus: | Dianthus |
| Species: | D. plumarius |
| Binomial name | |
| Dianthus plumarius L. | |
Dianthus plumarius, also known as the common, garden, or wild pink, is the species of flower from which the color pink,[1] and the pinking shear tool, both derive their name.
Description
Dianthus plumarius is a compact ground cover evergreen reaching on average 30–60 centimetres (12–24 in) of height. The stem is green, erect, glabrous and branched on the top, the leaves are opposite, simple, linear and sessile, more or less erect and flexuous, with a sheath embracing the stem. They are about 3 millimetres (0.12 in) wide and about 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long. The calyx is a green cylindrical tube about 2 centimetres (0.79 in) long, with reddish teeth. The flowers are radially symmetric, hermaphrodite, gathered in scapes of 3–5 flowers, with 10 stamens. They have five pink petals, 10–15 millimetres (0.39–0.59 in) long, with fringed margins (hence the common name). The flowering period extends from May through August. The fruits are capsules with a few seeds.[2]
Distribution
This species is native to Austria, Croatia, and Slovenia, and naturalized to Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom.[3]
Known to grow, invasively, in: Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York State, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, California[4]
Etymology
While the origin of the name of the flower is uncertain, within two decades of its 1570 appearance in the written record, that flower's name was being used to refer to the pastel red known as pink in English today. Whether the pinking shear shares a common origin, or is named after the flower, is uncertain.[5]
References
- ↑ Pink is Named after the Dianthus Flower – Ripley's Believe it or Not
In the 16th Century, the Dianthus Plumarius was commonly referred to as a pink - ↑ Dianthus plumarius (Pink)
- ↑ Dianthus plumarius – Hortipedia
- ↑ Dianthus plumarius – L. Natureserve Explorer
- ↑ Pink: Etymology – Dictionary.com
1570s, common name of Dianthus, a garden plant of various colors, of unknown origin. Its use for "pale rose color" first recorded 1733 ( pink-coloured is recorded from 1680s), from one of the colors of the flowers. The plant name is perhaps from pink (v.) via notion of "perforated" petals, or from Dutch pink "small" (see pinkie ), from the term pinck oogen "half-closed eyes," literally "small eyes," which was borrowed into English (1570s) and may have been used as a name for Dianthus, which sometimes has pale red flowers.