Carthusian Pink - Dianthus carthusianorum

Scientific Name: Dianthus carthusianorum (Caryophyllaceae).


English Name: Carthusian Pink (Campion family).


French Name: L'Oeillet des Chartreux (='Carthusian's eyelet').

5 Key Characters:

• deep pink, purply red or occasionally white or pale pink flowers in dense clusters surrounded by bracts.
• hairless.
• 5 toothed petals.
• leaves long and pointed.
• very variable, especially in number of flowers per cluster and colour of flowers.

Lookalikes: Sweet William D. barbatus and Deptford Pink D. armeria. Sweet William has particularly dense, flat topped clusters of flowers. Deptford Pink is hairy and has white spots. Other Dianthus species do not have flowers in clusters.

Habitat: Dry pasture, woodland, rocks. Full sun, poor calcareous soil.


Flowering Period: May-June-July-August-September-October.

Status: Widespread but localised (ie only on sites that suit its requirements for dry, poor, sunny calcareous soil). Locally protected.


Photographed by Loire Valley Nature: