Species

Saponaria officinalis

Etymology

Saponaria: New Latin, from Medieval Latin, feminine of saponarius of soap, from Latin sapon-, sapo soap + -arius -ary
officinalis: From the Latin officina shortened from opificina which originally meant 'workshop' but later came to mean a monastic storeroom, herb-room or pharmacy. Refers to the plant's real or perceived medicinal value.

Common Name(s)

soapwort

Authority

Saponaria officinalis L.

Family

Caryophyllaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Flower Colours

Red / Pink,White

Year Naturalised

1904

Origin

Europe

This page last updated on 4 Dec 2015