Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
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Saponaria officinalis
Soapwort, Bouncing Bet, Common Soapwort
Caryophyllaceae
Weed of roadsides, waste ground and along streams. Widespread, but rarely coastal except in the Sydney area.
Introduced perennial herb to 1 m high, occasionally prostrate, with stout branching rhizomes and long stolons. Stems hairless or with sparse hairs. Leaves opposite each other, 2.5–10 cm long, 6–30 mm wide, conspicuously 3-veined, lower surface covered with minute blisters, tips pointed. Flowers white or pink to pinkish mauve, tubular, with 5 lobes, each about 10 mm long. Flowers in tight clusters of 6–25 flowers. Flowering: winter to summer.
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Saponaria~officinalis (accessed 6 February, 2021)
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