Gypsophila repens

Gypsophila repens
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Caryophyllaceae
Genus:	Gypsophila
Species:	G. repens
Binomial name
Gypsophila repens L.
Synonyms[1]
Gypsophila adscendens Jacq. Gypsophila alpestris Jord. & Fourr. Gypsophila dubia Willd. Gypsophila erectiuscula Jord. & Fourr. Gypsophila sabauda Jord. & Fourr.

Gypsophila repens, the alpine gypsophila[2] or creeping baby's breath,[3] is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to the mountains of central and southern Europe, where it grows on dry, chalky slopes.[4] The Latin name literally means "creeping chalk-lover".[5] It is a prostrate, mat-forming herbaceous perennial, growing around 20 cm (8 in) tall by 30–50 cm (12–20 in) wide. For much of the summer it bears masses of star-shaped flowers which may be white, lilac or light purple, in loose panicles.[6][4]

In cultivation this plant is often grown in rock gardens or against dry stone walls. Like its relative G. paniculata, it is also used as a cut flower. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[7][8]

Gallery

• 
  a pink-flowered single-petalled form
• 
  a pink-flowered double-petalled cultivated form
• 
  a white-flowered form
• 
  foliage

References

1. "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 9 April 2015.
2. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
3. NRCS. "Gypsophila repens". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 9 May 2015.
4. RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1405332965.
5. Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. p. 224. ISBN 9781845337315.
6. "Botanica. The Illustrated AZ of over 10000 garden plants and how to cultivate them", p. 419. Könemann, 2004. ISBN 3-8331-1253-0
7. "Gypsophila repens AGM". RHS Plant Finder. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
8. "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 43. Retrieved 3 March 2018.

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