Saponaria | |
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Saponaria ocymoides | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Caryophyllales |
Family: | Caryophyllaceae |
Genus: | Saponaria L. (1753) |
Species | |
30-40, see text | |
Synonyms [1] | |
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Saponaria is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to Asia and Europe, and are commonly known as soapworts. [2] They are herbaceous perennials and annuals, some with woody bases. The flowers are abundant, five-petalled and usually in shades of pink [3] or white. [2] The genus is closely related to the genus Silene , being distinguished from these by having only two (not three or five) styles in the flower. [3] It is also related to Gypsophila , but its calyx is cylindrical rather than bell-shaped. [4]
The most familiar species might be common soapwort (S. officinalis), which is native to Eurasia but is known in much of the world as an introduced species, often a weed, and sometimes a cultivated ornamental plant. [2] The genus name Saponaria derives from the Latin sapo ("soap") and -aria ("pertaining to"), [2] and at least one species, S. officinalis, has been used to make soap. [5] It contains saponins, and a liquid soap can be produced by soaking the leaves in water. [2] This soap is still used to clean delicate antique tapestries. [6] It is also sometimes stated that it is used as an emulsifier in Turkish delight confections, but this is a case of double confusion. The roots of plants in genus Gypsophila are used to make the Turkish confection helva and Saponaria species are not used. [7]
Saponaria species are eaten by the larvae of some butterflies and moths, including the Lychnis and Coleophora saponariella , which is exclusive to the genus.
There are thirty [4] [8] to forty [2] [9] [10] species in the genus.
Plants of the World Online accepts 39 species: [1]
Nepeta is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. The genus name, from Latin nepeta (“catnip”), is reportedly in reference to Nepete, an ancient Etruscan city. There are 295 accepted species.
Erythronium, the fawn lily, trout lily, dog's-tooth violet or adder's tongue, is a genus of Eurasian and North American plants in the lily family, most closely related to tulips. The name Erythronium derives from Ancient Greek ἐρυθρός (eruthrós) "red" in Greek, referring to the red flowers of E. dens-canis. Of all the established species, most live in North America; only six species are found in Europe and Asia.
Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactaceae, and Polygonaceae. It is a large family, with 81 genera and about 2,625 known species.
Alcea is a genus of over 80 species of flowering plants in the mallow family Malvaceae, commonly known as the hollyhocks. They are native to Asia and Europe. The single species of hollyhock from the Americas, the streambank wild hollyhock, belongs to a different genus.
Gypsophila is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. Turkey has a particularly high diversity of Gypsophila taxa, with about 35 endemic species. Some Gypsophila are introduced species in other regions.
Apocynum, commonly known as dogbane or Indian hemp, is a small genus of the flowering plant family Apocynaceae. Its name comes from Ancient Greek ἀπόκυνονapókunon, from ἀπο-apo- "away" and κύωνkúōn "dog", referring to dogbane, which was used to poison dogs. The genus is native to North America, temperate Asia, and southeastern Europe.
Silene chalcedonica, the Maltese-cross or scarlet lychnis, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to Eurasia. Other common names include flower of Bristol, Jerusalem cross and nonesuch.
The genus Anchusa belongs to the borage family (Boraginaceae). It includes about 35 species found growing in Europe, North Africa, South Africa and Western Asia. They are introduced in the United States.
Saponaria officinalis is a common perennial plant from the family Caryophyllaceae. This plant has many common names, including common soapwort, bouncing-bet, crow soap, wild sweet William, and soapweed. There are about 20 species of soapworts altogether.
Petrorhagia is a small genus of annual and perennial plants of the family Caryophyllaceae, mostly native to the Mediterranean region. It is low-growing with wiry stems and narrow, grass-like leaves. The flowers are small, in clusters similar to members of the genus Dianthus, in pink, lilac, or white. Petrorhagia saxifraga is the tunic flower or coat flower, similar to baby's breath, but shorter, and used in rock gardens.
Gypsophila vaccaria is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is native from Portugal and Morocco to the Himalayas, and has been introduced into temperate areas worldwide. Among its many synonyms is Vaccaria hispanica, which was the only species placed in the genus Vaccaria. It is known by several common names including cowherb, cowcockle, cow basil, cow soapwort, and prairie carnation. It is an annual herb with blue-gray, waxy herbage and pale pink flowers.
Melica is a genus of perennial grasses known generally as melic or melic grass. They are found in most temperate regions of the world.
Calligonum is a genus of plants in the family Polygonaceae with about 80 species across the Mediterranean Sea region, Asia and North America.
Mucronea is a genus of plants in the family Polygonaceae with two species restricted to California. Known generally as spineflowers, they are closely related to genus Chorizanthe. They are annual herbs producing slender, erect, glandular stems from taproots. The leaves are located in a rosette around the base of the stem and wither quickly. The inflorescence is an open array of flowers, each blooming in an involucre of spiny bracts lined with awn-tipped teeth. The six-lobed flowers are white to pink.
Cardionema ramosissimum is a perennial plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, commonly known as sandcarpet, sandmat or tread lightly. It is a small, clumping, mat-forming plant found in a number of diverse habitats throughout its range, from sandy beaches and dunes to the high elevations of the Andes mountains. Cardionema ramosissimum has a disjunct distribution throughout the Americas, and is found on the Pacific coast of North America from the Puget Sound to Baja California, in central Mexico, and widely across South America, from the Andes in Colombia to most of Argentina.
Krascheninnikovia is a genus of flowering plants in the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae known as winterfat, so-called because it is a nutritious livestock forage. They are known from Eurasia and western North America. These are hairy perennials or small shrubs which may be monoecious or dioecious. They bear spike inflorescences of woolly flowers.
Acanthophyllum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae with about 75 species, spread in the Irano-Turanian area.
Petrorhagia saxifraga, known as tunic flower or coat flower, is a small, herbaceous flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is native to parts of Europe and introduced to the United States and Canada, Great Britain, and Sweden. Petrorhagia saxifraga is also known as tunic saxifrage, pink saxifrage, or just pink.
Eremogone is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to western North America, northern Asia, eastern Europe and northeastern Africa. Attempts to resolve taxonomic relationships within the Caryophyllaceae have resulted in the enlargement of Eremogone with species from other genera.