Saponaria officinalis
Common names
Soapwort
Biostatus
Exotic
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Flower colours
Red/Pink, White
Conservation status
Not applicable
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Caryophyllaceae
Ecology
Year naturalised
1904
Origin
Europe
Other information
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.