Gypsophila paniculata

Common Baby's-breath
Gypsophila paniculata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Core eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Caryophyllaceae
Genus:	Gypsophila
Species:	G. paniculata
Binomial name
Gypsophila paniculata L.

Close-up view of two Gypsophila paniculata flowers

Use of Gypsphila in flower arrangement

Gypsophila paniculata, commonly known as Baby's-breath, is a cultivated ornamental garden plant in the Caryophyllaceae family, popular in the florist trade (see illustration) to provide a background for more colourful flowers.

Originally from Eastern Europe, its natural habitat is on the Steppes in dry, sandy and stony places, often on calcareous soils (gypsophila = "chalk-loving"). Specimens of this plant were first sent to Linnaeus from St Petersburg by the Swiss-Russian botanist Johann Amman. It is cultivated in Peru corresponding to a large portion of this country's flowers exports. ^[1]

Invasive

Gypsophila paniculata is now widely distributed in North America. ^[2] It is classed as an invasive species in places around the Great Lakes, such as the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore ^[3] and the Chicago region, ^[4] and in the Pacific Northwest. ^[5]

References

Illustration by Otto Wilhelm Thomé

1. ^ La floricultura en el Perú: La más alta calidad en Gypsphila
2. ^ PLANTS Profile - Gypsophila paniculata L. - baby's breath, PLANTS Database, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
3. ^ Does removal of Baby’s Breath from Lake Michigan sand dunes restore native plant diversity and ecosystem function?, The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
4. ^ Invasive Plants in the Chicago Region, Chicago Botanic Garden.
5. ^ Pacific Northwest Noxious Weed List, Pacific Northwest Invasive Plant Council. Retrieved 6 July 2010.