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Soapwort
Saponaria officinalis
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Alien species
Soapwort is a long‑lived garden plant that often escapes and grows wild. It has sturdy stems and clusters of pale pink or white, sweet‑scented flowers. You can see it in sunny, open places and around old settlements.
Did you know?
- Its roots foam in water like soap, which is why it was once used for gentle washing and gives the plant its name.
- The flowers smell strongest at dusk and attract night‑flying moths.
About the species
Identification
Strong, upright plant 30–90 cm tall, usually with a single unbranched stem. Stems smooth or slightly hairy; spreads by thick underground runners. Leaves sit in pairs on the stem, oval and pointed, up to 10 cm long, with three long veins. Flowers form tight clusters at the top; each is 2.5–3.5 cm wide, pale pink or white, sometimes double, and sweetly scented, especially at dusk. After flowering it makes a dry pod that splits into four. Differs from campions, which have a swollen, netted tube behind the petals; soapwort lacks that and has broader, three‑veined leaves. Flowers in Finland in July–August.
Plant group
Herbaceous plants
Habitat
yards and roadsides
Flowering
Jul–Aug
About the habitat
Prefers sunny, open places such as waste ground, roadsides, edges of woods and riverbanks. Often persists near old homesteads and spreads from gardens, forming wide patches with its underground runners. An established garden escape; found up to around Oulu and locally common in the south.
Sources
Photo: Felipe Horton, CC BY 4.0 https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/6147200984
Text: Pinkka: Puutarhakasvitiede 1 - Perennat ja ryhmäkasvit, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.38142
Text: Pinkka: A Pohjolan kasveja - Rabelera-Ruta, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.38142
Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rohtosuopayrtti
