Saponaria

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Saponaria
Saponaria ocymoides0.jpg
Saponaria ocymoides
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Genus: Saponaria
L.
Species

30-40, see text

Saponaria is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to Asia and Europe, and are commonly known as soapworts. [1] They are herbaceous perennials and annuals, some with woody bases. The flowers are abundant, five-petalled and usually in shades of pink [2] or white. [1] 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. [2] It is also related to Gypsophila , but its calyx is cylindrical rather than bell-shaped. [3]

Contents

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. [1] The genus name Saponaria derives from the Latin sapo ("soap") and -aria ("pertaining to"), [1] and at least one species, S. officinalis, has been used to make soap. [4] It contains saponins, and a liquid soap can be produced by soaking the leaves in water. [1] This soap is still used to clean delicate antique tapestries. [5] 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. [6]

Saponaria species are eaten by the larvae of some butterflies and moths, including the Lychnis and Coleophora saponariella , which is exclusive to the genus.

Diversity

There are thirty [3] [7] to forty [1] [8] [9] species in the genus.

According to Plants of the World Online species include: [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>Nepeta</i> Genus of flowering plants, known for effect on cats (catnip) in the mint family (Lamiaceae)

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 about 250 species.

<i>Erythronium</i> Genus of flowering plants

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.

<i>Alcea</i> Genus of flowering plants in the mallow family Malvaceae

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.

<i>Gypsophila</i> Genus of flowering plants

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.

<i>Apocynum</i> Genus of flowering plants

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.

<i>Silene chalcedonica</i> Species of flowering plant

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.

<i>Anthemis</i> Genus of flowering plants

Anthemis is a genus of aromatic flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, closely related to Chamaemelum, and like that genus, known by the common name chamomile; some species are also called dog-fennel or mayweed. Anthemis are native to the Mediterranean region and southwest Asia east to Iran. A number of species have also become naturalized in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world.

<i>Origanum</i> Genus of flowering plants

Origanum is a genus of herbaceous perennials and subshrubs in the family Lamiaceae, native to Europe, North Africa, and much of temperate Asia, where they are found in open or mountainous habitats. A few species also naturalized in scattered locations in North America and other regions.

<i>Saponaria officinalis</i> Species of plant

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.

<i>Petrorhagia</i> Genus of flowering plants

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.

<i>Gypsophila vaccaria</i> Genus of flowering plants

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.

<i>Alkanna</i> Genus of flowering plants in the borage family Boraginaceae

Alkanna is a genus of herbaceous plants including about 60 species of the family Boraginaceae.

<i>Melica</i> Genus of grasses

Melica is a genus of perennial grasses known generally as melic or melic grass. They are found in most temperate regions of the world.

<i>Mucronea</i> Genus of flowering plants

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.

<i>Dudleya saxosa</i> Species of succulent

Dudleya saxosa is a perennial succulent plant species in the family Crassulaceae, within the genus Dudleya, which are commonly known as liveforevers. This species is a complex of 3 subspecies of plants, isolated and disjunct in distribution from one another, each with varying levels of ploidy and morphology. One plant is native throughout the deserts and mountains of Southern California, another is found in the Panamint Mountains, and one is found throughout central Arizona.

<i>Acanthophyllum</i> Genus of flowering plants in the pink family Caryophyllaceae

Acanthophyllum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae with about 75 species, spread in the Irano-Turanian area.

<i>Petrorhagia saxifraga</i> Species of flowering plant

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.

<i>Calyptocarpus vialis</i> Species of plant

Calyptocarpus vialis is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Common names for C. vialis include straggler daisy, horseherb, lawnflower, and creeping Cinderella-weed. It is native to south Texas, Mexico, Belize, Venezuela, and the Caribbean. It has also been introduced east of Texas, Argentina, Hawaii, India, Java, Australia, and Taiwan. It is one of only three species in the genus Calyptocarpus.

<i>Eremogone</i> Genus of Caryophyllaceae plants

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thieret, John W.; Rabeler, Richard K. (2005). "Saponaria". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 5. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  2. 1 2 RHS A–Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. ISBN   978-1405332965.
  3. 1 2 Ghazanfar, Shahina A.; Nasir, Yasin J. "Saponaria". Flora of Pakistan via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  4. Coombes, A. J. (2012). The A to Z of Plant Names . USA: Timber Press. p.  265. ISBN   9781604691962.
  5. Elliot, Doug (July 1995). Wild Roots: Forager's Guide to the Edible and Medicinal Roots, Tubers, Corms and Rhizomes of North America. ISBN   978-0892815388.
  6. Işın, Priscilla Mary (2013). Sherbet & Spice : the complete story of Turkish sweets and desserts (1st ed.). New York: I.B. Tauris. pp. 128, 270. ISBN   978-1-84885-898-5 . Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  7. Lu, Dequan; Lidén, Magnus; Oxelman, Bengt. "Saponaria". Flora of China. Vol. 6 via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  8. Jürgens, Andreas; Witt, Taina; Gottsberger, Gerhard (2003). "Flower scent composition in Dianthus and Saponaria species (Caryophyllaceae) and its relevance for pollination biology and taxonomy" (PDF). Biochemical Systematics and Ecology. 31 (4): 345–57. doi:10.1016/S0305-1978(02)00173-4.
  9. Hartman, Ronald L.; Rabeler, Richard K. (2012). "Saponaria". In Jepson Flora Project (ed.). Jepson eFlora. The Jepson Herbarium, University of California, Berkeley.
  10. "Saponaria L." Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 9 March 2024.