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Dianthus
	Dianthus caryophyllus flower
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Caryophyllaceae
Genus:	Dianthus; L.
Type species
	Dianthus caryophyllus;

Dianthus (/daɪˈænθəs/ dy-AN-thəs)^[1] is a genus of about 340 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, native mainly to Europe and Asia, with a few species in north Africa and in southern Africa, and one species (D. repens) in arctic North America. Common names include carnation (D. caryophyllus), pink (D. plumarius and related species) and sweet william (D. barbatus).

Description

The species are mostly herbaceous perennials, a few are annual or biennial, and some are low subshrubs with woody basal stems. The leaves are opposite, simple, mostly linear and often strongly glaucous grey green to blue green. The flowers have five petals, typically with a frilled or pinked margin, and are (in almost all species) pale to dark pink. One species, D. knappii, has yellow flowers with a purple centre. Some species, particularly the perennial pinks, are noted for their strong spicy fragrance.

Taxonomy

Species

Selected species include:

Dianthus acicularis
Dianthus albens – wild pink
Dianthus alpinus – Alpine pink
Dianthus amurensis – Amur pink
Dianthus anatolicus
Dianthus arenarius – sand pink
Dianthus armeria – Deptford pink
Dianthus balbisii
Dianthus barbatus – sweet william
Dianthus basuticus – Lesotho pink
Dianthus biflorus
Dianthus bolusii – mountain pink
Dianthus brevicaulis
Dianthus broteri
Dianthus burgasensis
Dianthus caespitosus – Karoo pink
Dianthus callizonus
Dianthus campestris
Dianthus capitatus
Dianthus carthusianorum – Carthusian pink
Dianthus caryophyllus – carnation or clove pink
Dianthus chinensis – China pink
Dianthus crenatus
Dianthus cruentus – blood pink
Dianthus cyprius – North Cyprus pink
Dianthus deltoides – maiden pink
Dianthus erinaceus
Dianthus fragrans
Dianthus freynii
Dianthus fruticosus
Dianthus furcatus
Dianthus giganteus – giant pink
Dianthus glacialis
Dianthus gracilis
Dianthus graniticus
Dianthus gratianopolitanus – Cheddar pink
Dianthus haematocalyx
Dianthus hyssopifolius subsp. gallicus – French pink or Jersey pink
Dianthus japonicus – seashore pink
Dianthus japigicus
Dianthus kladovanus
Dianthus knappii
Dianthus libanotis – Lebanon pink
Dianthus lusitanus
Dianthus microlepis
Dianthus micropetalus – grassveld pink
Dianthus moesiacus
Dianthus monspessulanus – fringed pink
Dianthus mooiensis - frilly carnation
Dianthus myrtinervius – Albanian pink
Dianthus nardiformis
Dianthus nitidus
Dianthus orientalis
Dianthus pavonius
Dianthus pendulus
Dianthus petraeus
Dianthus pinifolius
Dianthus plumarius – garden pink, wild pink
Dianthus pungens
Dianthus repens – boreal carnation
Dianthus scardicus
Dianthus seguieri – Sequier's pink
Dianthus serotinus – late pink
Dianthus simulans
Dianthus spiculifolius
Dianthus squarrosus
Dianthus strictus
Dianthus subacaulis
Dianthus superbus – large pink, nadeshiko
Dianthus sylvestris – wood pink
Dianthus tenuifolius
Dianthus thunbergii – Thunberg's wild pink
Dianthus urumoffii
Dianthus zonatus

Hybrids include;

'Devon Xera' – Fire Star Dianthus^[2]
'John Prichard'

Etymology

The name Dianthus is from the Greek διόσανθος, a compound from the words Δῖος Dios ("of Zeus") and ἄνθος anthos ("flower"), and was cited by the Greek botanist Theophrastus.^[3] The colour pink may be named after the flower, coming from the frilled edge of the flowers: the verb "to pink" dates from the 14th century and means "to decorate with a perforated or punched pattern". As is also demonstrated by the name of "pinking shears", special scissors for cloth that create a zigzag or decorative edge that discourages fraying. Alternatively, "pink" may be derived from the Dutch "pinksteren" alluding to the season of flowering; "pinksteren" meaning "Pentecost" in Dutch. Thus the colour may be named after the flower, rather than the flower after the colour.

Ecology

Dianthus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including cabbage moth, double-striped pug, large yellow underwing and the lychnis. Also three species of Coleophora case-bearers feed exclusively on Dianthus; C. dianthi, C. dianthivora and C. musculella (which feeds exclusively on D. superbus).

Cultivation

Since 1717, dianthus species have been extensively bred and hybridised to produce many thousands of cultivars for garden use and floristry, in all shades of white, pink, yellow and red, with a huge variety of flower shapes and markings. They are often divided into the following main groups:^[4]^[5]

Border carnations – fully hardy, growing to 60 cm (24 in), large blooms
Perpetual flowering carnations – grown under glass, flowering throughout the year, often used for exhibition purposes, growing to 150 cm (59 in)
Malmaison carnations – derived from the variety 'Souvenir de la Malmaison', growing to 70 cm (28 in), grown for their intense "clove" fragrance
Old-fashioned pinks – older varieties; evergreen perennials forming mounds of blue-green foliage with masses of flowers in summer, growing to 45 cm (18 in)
Modern pinks – newer varieties, growing to 45 cm (18 in), often blooming two or three times per year
Alpine pinks – mat-forming perennials, suitable for the rockery or alpine garden, growing to 10 cm (4 in)

Over 100 varieties have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.^[6]

Culture

In the language of flowers, pink Dianthus symbolize boldness.^[7]

Dianthus gratianopolitanus – the Cheddar pink – was chosen as the county flower of Somerset in 2002 following a poll by the wild flora conservation charity Plantlife.^[8] Dianthus japonicus is the official flower of Hiratsuka, Kanagawa, Japan.

In Japan, Dianthus superbus – the fringed pink or nadeshiko – is used in the term Yamato nadeshiko to describe the archetype of a traditional ideal woman.