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Caryophyllaceae
Bouncing Bet
Saponaria officinalis
Cleansing, renewal, and rustic charm.
- Family
- Caryophyllaceae
- Genus
- Saponaria
- Native to
- Europe, western Asia
- Bloom season
- Summer, Early Fall
- Type
- herbaceous perennial
- Height
- 30–80 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun to part shade
- Soil
- any well-drained, including poor
- Water
- low to medium; drought-tolerant
- Hardiness
- 3–9
- Lifespan
- long-lived perennial
Did you know
- Crushed leaves and roots produce a soft natural lather when rubbed in water — soap without soap.
- Roman bathhouses are thought to have used it for laundering delicate fabrics, hence 'soapwort'.
- Conservators still sometimes use saponaria solutions to clean historic textiles too fragile for detergent.
- The flowers are mildly fragrant in the evening, attracting night-flying moths for pollination.
- It naturalizes aggressively along roadsides in North America — pretty, but it will run if you let it.
Color meanings
Pink
homely affection
White
modest purity