Bouncing Bett

Saponaria officinalis "Bouncing Bett"

Please keep in mind that it is illegal to uproot a plant without the landowner's consent and care should be taken at all times not to damage wild plants. Wild plants should never be picked for pleasure and some plants are protected by law.
For more information please download the BSBI Code of Conduct PDF document.

Plant Data

Flowering Months:

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Order:

Caryophyllales

Family:

Caryophyllaceae (Pink)

Also in this family:

Alpine Catchfly, Alpine Mouse-ear, Alpine Pearlwort, Annual Knawel, Annual Pearlwort, Arctic Mouse-ear, Arctic Sandwort, Berry Catchfly, Bladder Campion, Bog Stitchwort, Cheddar Pink, Childing Pink, Clove Pink, Common Chickweed, Common Corn-cockle, Common Mouse-ear, Common Soapwort, Coral Necklace, Corn Spurrey, Cyphel, Deptford Pink, Dwarf Mouse-ear, English Sandwort, Field Mouse-ear, Fine-leaved Sandwort, Four-leaved Allseed, Fringed Rupturewort, Fringed Sandwort, Greater Chickweed, Greater Sea-spurrey, Greater Stitchwort, Greek Sea-spurrey, Grey Mouse-ear, Heath Pearlwort, Italian Catchfly, Knotted Pearlwort, Lesser Chickweed, Lesser Sea-spurrey, Lesser Stitchwort, Little Mouse-ear, Maiden Pink, Marsh Stitchwort, Moss Campion, Mossy Sandwort, Mountain Sandwort, Night-flowering Catchfly, Nottingham Catchfly, Perennial Knawel, Pink, Procumbent Pearlwort, Proliferous Pink, Ragged Robin, Recurved Sandwort, Red Campion, Rock Sea-spurrey, Sand Catchfly, Sand Spurrey, Scottish Pearlwort, Sea Campion, Sea Mouse-ear, Sea Pearlwort, Sea Sandwort, Shetland Mouse-ear, Slender Pearlwort, Slender Sandwort, Small-flowered Catchfly, Smooth Rupturewort, Snow Pearlwort, Snow-in-summer, Spanish Catchfly, Spotted Catchfly, Spring Sandwort, Starwort Mouse-ear, Sticky Catchfly, Sticky Mouse-ear, Strapwort, Sweet William, Teesdale Sandwort, Three-nerved Sandwort, Thyme-leaved Sandwort, Upright Chickweed, Water Chickweed, White Campion, Wood Stitchwort

Type:

Flower

Life Cycle:

Perennial

Maximum Size:

90 centimetres tall

Habitats:

Farmland, gardens, hedgerows, meadows, roadsides, wasteland, waterside, woodland.

Flower:

Pink, many petals

Soft pink flowers with double flowers. Bouncing Bett is the double-flowered variety of Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis). Pollinated by butterflies and moths. 10 stamens. 2 styles.

Fruit:

A 4-parted capsule. The seeds ripen in August and September.

Leaves:

Leafy branches with opposite, entire leaves. The leaves are sometimes tinged red. A perennial which grows in patches.

Aroma:

Sweetly fragrant.

Other Names:

Boston Pink, Bouncing-bet, Bruisewort, Chimney Pink, Crow Soap, Devil in a Bush, Farewell to Summer, Flop Top, Fuller's Herb, Jill-run-by-the-street, Lady-by-the-gate, London Pride, Mock Gilliflower, Old Maid's Pink, Old Maid's Slipper, Sheepweed, Soap Plant, Soap Root, Soapweed, Soapwort, Soapwort Gentian, Sweet Betty, Wild Sweet William, Wood Phlox, World's Wonder.

Frequency (UK):

Occasionally seen

Similar Species:

Common Soapwort

Distribution Map

Reproduced by kind permission of the BSBI.

Click to open an Interactive Map