DEPTFORD PINK

(Dianthus Armeria) Pink family



Flowers - Pink, with whitish dots, small, borne in small clusters

at end of stem. Calyx tubular, 5-toothed, with several bract-like

leaves at base; 5 petals with toothed edges, clawed at base

within deep calyx; 10 stamens; 1 pistil with 2 styles. Stem: 6 to

18 in. high, stiff, erect, finely hairy, few branches. Leaves:

Opposite, blade-shaped, or lower ones rounded at end.

Preferred Habitat - Fields, roadsides.

Flowering Season - June-September.

Distribution - Southern Ontario, New England, south to Maryland,

west to Michigan.



The true pinks of Europe, among which are the SWEET WILLIAM or

BUNCH PINK (D. barbatus) of our gardens, occasionally wild here,

and the deliciously spicy CLOVE PINK (D. Carophyllus), ancestor

of the superb carnations of the present day, that have reached a

climax in the Lawson pink of newspaper fame, were once held

sacred to Jupiter, hence Dianthus = Jove's own flower. The

Deptford pink, a rather insignificant little European immigrant,

without fragrance, has a decided charm, nevertheless, when seen

in bright patches among the dry grass of early autumn, with small

butterflies, that are its devoted admirers, hovering above.