Species
Dianthus barbatus
Etymology
Dianthus: From the Greek dios 'god' or 'divine' and anthos 'flower, the divine flower
barbatus: From the Latin 'barbus', meaning bearded or provided with tufts of long weak hairs
Common Name(s)
sweet William
Authority
Dianthus barbatus L.
Family
Caryophyllaceae
Flora Category
Vascular - Exotic
Structural Class
Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites
Flower Colours
Red / Pink,Violet / Purple
Year Naturalised
1872
Origin
Europe, W. Asia
Etymology note
One of the common names for Dianthus barbatus is 'gilly-flower' which is derived from the Greek name for the family Caryophyllaceae (Clayton, 1994).
References and further reading
Clayton, F. (1994). Deities in my Garden: Generic names for plants from old mythology. ETY Publishing Ltd: Paraparaumu, New Zealand.
This page last updated on 23 Jun 2013