Bouncing Bet, Soapwort

Saponaria officinalis L.

Caryophyllaceae (Pink Family)

▲▼ mature, flowering plants

▲ stem leaves on mature plant

▲ new shoots emerging in spring

▲▼ flowering stems

▲▼ flowers

▲▼ flowers

▲ large colony along highway in Illinois

Bouncing Bet, Soapwort: 

·         European native, creeping perennial weed with taproots and short rhizomes, forming colonies of 1-3 foot tall, mostly unbranched stems

·         Leaves, stems, hairless; leaves opposite, dark green, elongated oval with pointed leaf tips and short to no petioles

·         Flowers in clusters at stem tips, pinkish-white, showy, five-petalled, with notched petals

·         Can rub the leaves with water to make a mild sudsy “soap”

·         Can be toxic if grazed heavily due to saponins in plant, seeds