Bouncing Bet
Bouncing Bet, Soapwort
Saponaria officinalis L.
Caryophyllaceae (Pink Family)
▲ ▼ mature, flowering plants
▲ stem leaves on mature plant
▲ new shoots emerging in spring
▲ ▼ flowering stems
▲ ▼ flowers
▲ ▼ flowers
▲ large colony along highway in Illinois
Bouncing Bet, Soapwort:
- European native, creeping perennial weed with taproots and short rhizomes, forming colonies of 1-3 foot tall, mostly unbranched stems
- Leaves, stems, hairless; leaves opposite, dark green, elongated oval with pointed leaf tips and short to no petioles
- Flowers in clusters at stem tips, pinkish-white, showy, five-petalled, with notched petals
- Can rub the leaves with water to make a mild sudsy “soap"
- Can be toxic if grazed heavily due to saponins in plant, seeds