Deptford pink

(Dianthus armeria ssp. armeria)

Conservation Status
Deptford pink
 
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

NNA - Not applicable

SNA - Not applicable

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
Wetland Indicator Status
     
  Great Plains

UPL - Obligate upland

     
  Midwest

UPL - Obligate upland

     
  Northcentral & Northeast

UPL - Obligate upland

     
           
 
Description
 
 

Deptford pink is a 8 to 24 tall, erect, annual or biennial forb that rises on one to several stems from a slender taproot.

The stems are erect, round, hollow, and usually unbranched, occasionally forked above the middle. They are hairless near the base but moderately covered with curled hairs at the nodes and near the top.

There are many basal leaves and 5 to 10 pairs of stem leaves. Stem leaves are opposite, linear to narrowly inversely lance-shaped, ¾ to 4 long, and to 3 16 wide. They are attached to the stem without a stalk. Basal leaves are tapered to a blunt tip, stem leaves are sharply pointed at the tip. The upper and lower surfaces are minutely hairy. The margins are untoothed.

The inflorescence is occasionally a solitary flower or, more commonly, an open cluster of 3 to 6 flowers at the end of the stem and branches. The flowers appear almost stalkless on 1 32 to long stalks.

The flowers are to ½ wide. There are 5 sepals fused at the base into a tube (calyx) up to long and in diameter, then separated into 5 lobes. The calyx has 20 to 25 parallel veins and is densely hairy. The calyx lobes are linear and are tapered to a sharply-pointed tip. At the base of the calyx there are 1 to 3 pairs of bracts forming a secondary calyx (epicalyx). The bracts are green, linear, ascending, stiff, hairy, and as long or longer than the sepals. There are 5 pinkish-red to purplish-red petals with numerous white spots. The petals are narrowed at the base (clawed) and expanded at the tip into to 5 16 long lobes. The lobes are irregularly toothed at the tip. There are 10 stamens with pink anthers and 2 styles.

The fruit is a to long capsule with 40 to 100 or more seeds.

 
     
 

Height

 
 

8 to 24

 
     
 

Flower Color

 
 

Pinkish-red to purplish-red with white spots

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
  Maiden pink (Dianthus deltoides) calyx is hairless. The petals are broader.  
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Upland prairies, forest openings, roadsides, railroads, disturbed sites

 
     
 
Biology
 
 

Flowering

 
 

July to August

 
     
 
Use
 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 22, 28.

 
  8/6/2020      
         
 

Nativity

 
 

Native to Western Asia and Europe. Introduced, escaped from cultivation and naturalized in the United States.

 
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Uncommon

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Plantae (green algae and land plants)  
  Subkingdom Viridiplantae (green plants)  
  Infrakingdom Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)  
  Superdivision Embryophyta (land plants)  
  Division Tracheophyta (vascular plants)  
  Subdivision Spermatophytina (seed plants)  
  Class Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)  
  Subclass Caryophyllidae  
  Superorder Caryophyllanae  
 

Order

Caryophyllales (pinks, cactuses, and allies)  
 

Family

Caryophyllaceae (pink)  
  Subfamily Caryophylloideae  
  Tribe Caryophylleae  
 

Genus

Dianthus (pink)  
  Species Dianthus armeria (Deptford pink)  
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

There are two subspecies of Deptford pink. Only ssp. armeria occurs in North America.

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

 

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

Deptford pink

Deptford’s Pink

Grass Pink

 
       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Bract

Modified leaf at the base of a flower stalk, flower cluster, or inflorescence.

 

Calyx

The group of outer floral leaves (sepals) below the petals, occasionally forming a tube.

 

Claw

A stalk-like narrowed base of some petals and sepals.

 

Epicalyx

A whorl of bracts, just below the calyx, resembling a secondary, outer calyx.

 

Linear

Long, straight, and narrow, with more or less parallel sides, like a blade of grass.

 

Node

The small swelling of the stem from which one or more leaves, branches, or buds originate.

 

Sepal

An outer floral leaf, usually green but sometimes colored, at the base of a flower.

       
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Plant

  Deptford pink    
       

Inflorescence

  Deptford pink   Deptford pink
       
  Deptford pink   Deptford pink
       

Flower

  Deptford pink   Deptford pink
       

Infructescence

  Deptford pink   Deptford pink
       
       
       

 

Camera

     
Slideshows
   
  Deptford Pink
DianesDigitals
 
  Deptford Pink  
 
About

Copyright DianesDigitals

 
     
  Deptford Pink (Grass Pink) (Dianthus armeria)
Andree Reno Sanborn
 
  Deptford Pink (Grass Pink) (Dianthus armeria)  
     
  Deptford Pink (Dianthus armeria)
Bill Keim
 
  Deptford Pink (Dianthus armeria)  
     
  Deptford Pink Project
Species Recovery Trust
 
   
 
About

Published on Nov 28, 2014

Interview with BBC Radio Devon about the Deptford Pink project in the southwest, what work we're doing and why saving species is so important.

 
     

 

slideshow

       
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