Dianthus chinensis L.

Dianthus amurensis Jacques, Dianthus chinensis var. amurensis (Jacques) Kitagawa, Dianthus chinensis var. dentosus (Fischer ex Reichenbach) Debeaux, Dianthus chinensis f. ignescens (Nakai) Kitagawa, D. chinensis var. ignescens Nakai, Dianthus chinensis var. jingpoensis G. Y. Zhang & X. Y. Yuan, Dianthus chinensis var. liaotungensis Y. C. Chu, Dianthus chinensis var. longisquama Nakai & Kitagawa, Dianthus chinensis var. macrosepalus Franchet ex L. H. Bailey, Dianthus chinensis var. morii (Nakai) Y. C. Chu, Dianthus chinensis var. subulifolius (Kitagawa) Y. C. Ma, Dianthus chinensis var. sylvaticus W. D. J. Koch, Dianthus chinensis var. trinervis D. Q. Lu, Dianthus chinensis subsp. versicolor (Fisher ex Link) Voroschilov, Dianthus chinensis var. versicolor (Fisher ex Link) Y. C. Ma, Dianthus dentosus Fischer ex Reichenbach, Dianthus fischeri Sprengel, Dianthus morii Nakai, Dianthus sequieri Chaix, Dianthus sequieri var. dentosus (Fischer ex Reichenbach) Franchet, Dianthus subulifolius Kitagawa, Dianthus subulifolius f. leucopetalus Kitagawa, Dianthus versicolor Fisher ex Link, Dianthus versicolor f. leucopetalus (Kitagawa) Y. C. Chu, Dianthus versicolor var. subulifolius (Kitagawa) Y. C. Chu.

Caryophyllaceae

Annual Pink, China Pink, Chinese Pink, Dianthus, French Mignonette, Indian Pink, Japanese Pink, Pinks, Rainbow Pink

The species is indigenous to northern China (Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi and Xinjiang), Korea, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and southeastern Russia and has naturalized in southern China. It is widely cultivated elsewhere in temperate and subtropical areas.

In its native range, the species occurs in forest edges, forest grasslands, scrub on mountain slopes, hillside grasslands, dry hillsides, sandy hill summits, valleys, rocky ravines, meadows, streamsides, mountain stream wetlands, rocks, steppes, steppe sands, fixed dunes and seashores.

The species requires well-drained, neutral to slightly alkaline soil and full sun to partial shade.

Like most Dianthus, it has a pleasant spicy, floral, clove-like taste and is ideal for decorating or adding to cakes (Barash 1993; Creasey 1999; Brown 2011; Thompson and Morgan 2013). They also make a colourful garnish to soups, salads and the punch bowl. It is advisable to remove the bitter white base of the petal.

A small, glabrous, herbaceous, perennial growing in dense tufts to 30–50 cm high with erect and distally branched stem. The leaves are green to greyish linear-lanceolate, 3–5 cm long by 2–4 mm wide, with acuminate apex, tapering base and entire margin (Plates 1, 2 and 3). Flowers, 2.5–4 cm across, solitary or in a few-flowered cymes with four ovate bracts and on 1–3 cm pedicels; calyx cylindric with lanceolate 5 mm, pointed teeth; petals 1.6–2 cm; limb bright red, purple-red, pink or white, obovate-triangular, throat spotted and laxly bearded, apex irregularly dentate; stamens exserted; ovary suboblong, style linear (Plates 1, 2 and 3). Capsule suboblong with 4-toothed apex. Seeds black, oblate.