Low baby’s-breath

Description

Low baby’s-breath is an exotic, annual, herbaceous, flowering plant. It is native to Europe and eastern Asia. Evidence of its escape from cultivation (naturalization) was documented in Minnesota as early as 1910-1911, which suggests that it was introduced to North America as a garden ornamental and escaped well before that. Its spread has been slow, often aided by human intervention. For example, its spread in Eau Claire, Wisconsin include sites where snow and ice have been piled in winter. It now occurs in the United States from Maine to New Jersey, west to Minnesota, South Dakota, and Illinois, and there are scattered records around major metropolitan areas throughout the country. It occurs in southern Canada from Nova Scotia to Ontario, also with scattered records farther west.

Low baby’s-breath is found in yards, cemeteries, roadsides, and other disturbed sites. It is often found in sidewalk cracks. It grows under full sun in sandy or rocky soil.

The stems are erect, 1½″ to 11¾″ (4 to 30 cm) long, and much branched, with branches spreading in all directions throughout. The lower stem is usually covered with minute, fine, short hairs and the upper stem is hairless. Occasionally the entire stem is hairless.

The leaves are oppositely arranged. Opposite leaves are joined at the base around the stem at first. Later they are stalkless but the blades do not clasp the stem. The blade is linear, ⅛″ to 1¼″ (3 to 32 mm) long, and 1⁄128″ to ⅛″ (0.2 to 2.5 mm) wide. It is narrowly angled to convex at the tip. The upper and lower surfaces are hairless, but they are not covered with a whitish, waxy or powdery film (glaucous).

Each flower is on a hairless, 1⁄16″ to ¾″ (2 to 20 mm) long stalk. There are 5 outer floral leaves (sepals), 5 petals, 10 stamens, and 2 styles. The sepals are joined into a green, 1⁄16″ to ⅛″ (2 to 4 mm) long, cup-like base (calyx). The calyx has five lobes with rounded to broadly angled tips. The petals are inversely lance-shaped, ⅛″ to ¼″ (3.5 to 6.0 mm) long or longer, and usually pink, rarely white. The stamens are as long or longer than the calyx. The style is short.

The fruit is an egg-shaped to ellipse-shaped capsule that is slightly longer than the calyx. It contains numerous seeds.

Height

1½″ to 11¾″ (4 to 30 cm)

Flower Color

Usually pink

Similar Species

Baby's breath (Gypsophila paniculata) flowers are usually white, rarely pink.

Habitat

Yards, cemeteries, roadsides, disturbed sites, and sidewalk cracks

Ecology

Flowering

Summer and fall

Pests and Diseases

Use

Low baby’s-breath and non-native Gypsophila species are widely planted as garden ornamentals.