Dianthus armeria (Deptford pink)

Dianthus armeria L.

Dianthus armeria L. ssp. armeria

Deptford pink

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Caryophyllidae	Cacti, many other succulents, carnivorous plants, and leadworts
Order	Caryophyllales	Includes cacti, carnations, amaranths, ice plants, and many carnivorous plants
Family	Caryophyllaceae	Pink or carnation family
Genus	Dianthus	From the Greek dios, “divine,” and anthos, “flower”: the divine flower or flower of Zeus
Species	armeria	Latinized from the old French name armoires for a cluster-headed dianthus, this is also the Latin name for the Dianthus

About plant names...

Deptford pinks occur through most of North America. They are named for Deptford, in London, where they were once commonplace near the Thames river.

6/26/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Dunstable, Dunstable, MA
≈ 3 × 3½" (7.8 × 8.7 cm)

This compares maiden pinks to the closely related Deptford pinks:

	*Dianthus deltoides*	You are here Dianthus armeria
Common Name	maiden pink	Deptford pink
Plant	6-18" (15-45 cm) in height.	12-30" (30-76 cm) in height.
Flowers	½-¾" (1.3-1.9 cm) across, bright pink (sometimes lavendar or white), with five petals. They have a *starlike ring* near the center, and petals have serrated tips. Fowers from May to July.	*Smaller,* ¼" (8.5 mm) around, bright pink, petals with serrated tips.
Leaves	Narrow, bluish, grasslike leaves.	Grass-like, 3" (7.6 cm) × ⅛" (3.2 mm).
Range/ Zones
Habitats	Fields, roadsides, waste places.	Meadows, disturbed areas, roadsides.
Type	Wild	Wild

Identification: When not in bloom, this diminutive plant is easily overlooked. Fortunately it is almost always in bloom, and its five-petaled ¼" (8.5 mm) pink flowers are unmistakable in their color, shape, and serrations. (Yes, the pinking shears used to cut zigzag edges for sewing are named for pinks.) Deptford pinks love sunny meadows and disturbed areas. The plants can reach 30" (76 cm) in height, but I rarely see these thin plants above 12" (30 cm) or so. Leaves are grass-like, 3" (7.6 cm) × ⅛" (3.2 mm).

Edibility: Like most pinks, these contain saponins, and are not edible.

Online References:

Dianthus armeria on Missouriplants.com

Dianthus armeria at Illinois Wildflowers

Dianthus armeria on Wikipedia

Dianthus armeria on Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses

Dianthus armeria on Wildflowers of the United States

Dianthus armeria at the Oregon Flora Image Project

Dianthus armeria on spes.vt.edu

6/26/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, MA
≈ 5 × 4" (13 × 10 cm)

7/11/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near NH Line, Dunstable, MA
≈ 3½ × 3" (8.7 × 8.2 cm)

6/27/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, MA
≈ 1½ × 1½" (4.2 × 4.3 cm)

6/22/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, MA

6/26/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, MA
≈ 1½ × 1½" (4 × 3.9 cm)

6/26/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Dunstable, Dunstable, MA
≈ 3 × 2" (7.4 × 5.5 cm)

7/3/2005 · Pepperell, MA

Dianthus armeria description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

7/27/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, MA
≈ 3 × 3" (8.6 × 7.9 cm)

7/8/2016 · Dunstable Rural Land Trust, Dunstable, MA

Usually these have five petals. · 6/24/2015 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Ctr, Groton, MA
≈ 2 × 2" (5.5 × 5.1 cm)

7/12/2013 · Wooden Bridge, East Pepperell, MA
≈ 5 × 5" (13 × 13 cm)

6/27/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, MA
≈ 4 × 2½" (9.9 × 6.7 cm)

6/27/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, MA

7/4/2013 · ME
≈ 4 × 4" (10 × 11 cm)

7/21/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, MA
≈ 3 × 4½" (7.9 × 11 cm)

8/7/2017 · Groton Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, MA
≈ 3½ × 3½" (9.2 × 9.8 cm)

Range:

About this map...