What are carnations?
Most of the around 2,200 different carnation plants - about 70 of which are also cultivated as ornamental plants - are annual to biennial, herbaceous and often mat-forming plants. This family of plants mainly forms capsule fruits and propagates through seeds, which is why many of the ornamental species sow themselves quite reliably. As a rule, carnations prefer the open vegetation and are therefore mainly on sunny meadows etc. to find. In general, the plant family is considered to be extremely sun-loving.
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Use of carnation plants
Most of the around 70 carnation plants cultivated as ornamental plants are cultivated purely as ornaments in gardens and planters, especially the Dianthus species. Others, on the other hand, contain high proportions of saponins and sapogenins and were therefore also used or used in folk medicine. were used to make soap. Caution is advised with the corn wheel, because it is one of the few representatives of the carnation family that is highly poisonous.
Carnations used as ornamental and medicinal plants
In the following table you will find some of the carnation plants that can be found in our gardens, some of which can also be found in the wild - and are often considered weeds. The corn wheel in particular has become extremely rare and is threatened with extinction.
| German name | Latin name | description | blossom | origin | use | Specialty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corn wheel | Agrostemma | annual, herbaceous | purple-purple to pink | Europe | Ornamental plant | highly poisonous |
| Sandy herbs | Arenaria | cushion-forming, one to two years old | mostly white | Northern hemisphere | Ornamental plant | Field weeds |
| Horn herbs | Cerastium | usually annual, herbaceous | mostly white | Northern hemisphere | Ornamental plant in the rock garden | v. a. Felty hornwort |
| Cloves | Dianthus | annual or biennial, herbaceous | many colours | Northern hemisphere | Ornamental plant, folk medicine | very popular ornamental plant |
| Gypsum herbs | Gypsophila | usually annual, herbaceous | mostly white | Mediterranean area | Ornamental plant, used as a detergent | v. a. Gypsophila |
| Glue herbs | Silene | annual or biennial, herbaceous | many colours | Northern hemisphere | Ornamental plant | Light carnations |
| Mieren | Minuartia | annual, herbaceous | mostly white | Northern hemisphere | Ornamental plant | Field weeds |
| Fattening herbs | Sagina | annual, herbaceous | mostly white | Europe | Ornamental plant | form lawn |
| Soap herbs | Saponaria | persistent, herbaceous | purple, red, pink, yellow | Europe | Ornamental plant, detergent | v. a. Common soapwort (Saponaria officinalis) |
| Ball of herbs | Scleranthus | one to two years old, herbaceous | greenish-white | Northern hemisphere | Ornamental plant | forms cushions |
Tips
The popular light carnations and Cloves are among the largest genera within the carnation family: Silene comprises between 200 and 300 different species, Dianthus even up to 600. This offers a lot of colorful variety in the garden at home.
