The Dianthus superbus, also known as Tall Fringed Pink, belongs to the carnation family, Dianthus genus. This perennial herb grows 50-60 centimeters tall, sometimes even taller.
It features tufted, erect, green, and hairless stems with branches at the upper part. The leaves are linear-lanceolate with sharply pointed tips and prominent midribs. At the base, they merge to form a sheath-like structure, usually green with occasional glaucous tints.
Hidden within the calyx tube, the petal segments are broad and ovate with fringed margins extending to the middle or beyond, typically light red or purplish, though rarely white.
The throat is decorated with hairy scales; stamens and the style are slightly exserted. The capsule is cylindrical, equal in length or slightly longer than the persistent calyx, with a four-split top.
The seeds are flat, oval, about 2 millimeters long, black, and glossy. The flowering period is from June to September, with fruiting from August to October.
The plant can be used in flower beds, borders, rock gardens, as well as in pots or as cut flowers. Fringed Pink also has pesticidal properties, capable of killing insects; it can inhibit myocardial activity, dilate blood vessels, lower blood pressure, and stimulate the intestines.
Additionally, it has analgesic properties and antiviral effects against liver viruses.
The Fringed Pink is a perennial herb that reaches heights of 50-60 centimeters, sometimes taller. Its stems are tufted and erect, green and smooth without hair, branching at the top.
The leaves are opposite, often wrinkled, spreading flat and forming linear to lanceolate shapes. They are 5-10 centimeters long and 3-5 millimeters wide, with a sharp tip and a visibly distinct midrib.
The base merges into a sheath, which is green with occasional glaucous hues. The stem is cylindrical with branches at the upper part, measuring 30-60 centimeters in length, with a pale green or yellow-green, smooth, and hairless surface.
The nodes are conspicuous, slightly swollen, and the cross-section is hollow. The branch tips bear flowers and fruits with a tubular calyx, 2.7-3.7 centimeters long.
There are 4-6 wide ovate bracts, about a quarter of the calyx tube length; petals are brownish-purple or brownish-yellow, curled with deeply divided, thread-like tips. The capsule is cylindrical, equal in length to the persistent calyx.
Flowers, usually one or two, are borne at the end of the branches, sometimes axillary under the tip; there are 2-3 pairs of inverted ovate bracts, 6-10 millimeters long, about a quarter of the length of the calyx, 4-5 millimeters wide, with a sharply pointed tip.
The calyx is cylindrical, 2.5-3 centimeters long, with a diameter of 3-6 millimeters, often tinged with purplish-red, and the calyx teeth are lanceolate, 4-5 millimeters long.
The petals are 4-5 centimeters long, with claws 1.5-3 centimeters long, enclosed within the calyx tube, with wide ovate segments and fringed edges extending to the middle or beyond.
They are usually light red or purplish, rarely white, with hairy scales at the throat. The stamens and style slightly protrude.
The fruit is a cylindrical capsule, equal in length or slightly longer than the persistent calyx, splitting at the top into four parts; the seeds are flat, oval, about 2 millimeters in length, black, and glossy.
The flowering period is from June to September, with the fruiting period from August to October.
Fringed Pink thrives on hillsides, grasslands, roadsides, or beneath forests at elevations of 400-3700 meters, in sparse hillside forests, forest edges, meadows, and alongside ditches and streams.
The plant is native to Northern Europe, Central Europe, Siberia, Kazakhstan, western and northern Mongolia, Korea, and Japan. The type specimen was collected from Lapland in Northern Europe.
Site Preparation: Superb Pink isn’t picky about soil types and can thrive in most conditions, but it prefers well-drained, fertile loamy or sandy soil.
For every 10,000 square feet, incorporate approximately 3,000 to 4,000 pounds of manure, 30 to 40 pounds of superphosphate, and 100 pounds of wood ash. Deeply till the soil and then rake it finely before leveling and forming beds that are about 3 to 4 feet wide.
Propagation: Superb Pink is primarily propagated by seeds, but can also be divided.
Seed propagation
For seed collection, choose robust plants free of pests and diseases. Harvest the seeds when they turn black-brown at the end of August, along with the stems and leaves.
Dry them, extract the seeds, and remove impurities. Sow in late March to early April for spring planting, or in September for autumn. Both spot and drill sowing methods are acceptable.
For spot sowing, space holes at about 11 inches apart in rows 27 inches apart. Sow the seeds in the holes, cover with about a quarter to a third of an inch of soil, then press down and water.
For drill sowing, make shallow trenches 7 to 9 inches apart, distribute the seeds evenly, cover with soil, and water. Generally, use about 1 pound of seed per 10,000 square feet.
Division Propagation
Division is typically carried out from late March to mid-April. Choose an overcast or rainy day to dig out the roots, separating them into clumps of 3 to 4 plants, and plant immediately.
Space the holes or trenches 8 to 12 inches apart in well-prepared beds, plant one clump per hole, cover with fine soil, press firmly, and water.
Symptoms include yellowing leaves and rotting roots, leading to plant death within days.
Control methods: Sprinkling wood ash or lime around affected plants; removing and destroying diseased plants by burning or deep burial, then disinfecting the holes with 5% lime milk.
This disease affects the flowers and fruits, causing deformities with tumor-like growths containing black powder, typically starting at the flowering stage.
Control methods: soak the seeds in cool water for 4 to 6 hours, then scald them in boiling water for 1 to 2 seconds, remove, rinse, and dry before sowing; remove diseased plants immediately and destroy them by burning.
During the growing season, Superb Pink may be afflicted by caterpillars and slugs damaging the leaves. Upon discovery, treat promptly with a solution of 50% Dimethoate EC diluted at a rate of 1,000 to 2,000 times.
The entire plant is used for its cooling, diuretic, and menstrual flow-promoting effects.
Nature and Flavor: Bitter, cold.
Meridians: Enters the heart, kidney, small intestine, and bladder meridians.
Preparation: Clean and remove impurities and residual roots, wash thoroughly, moisten, cut into sections, and dry in the sun.
Indications: This remedy clears heat, promotes diuresis, breaks up blood stasis, and regulates menstruation. It is used to treat urinary retention, gonorrhea, edema, amenorrhea, carbuncles, eye inflammation with visual obstruction, and persistent ulcerative infections.
Superb Pink is suitable for flower beds, borders, or rock gardens, and can also be cultivated in pots or used as a cut flower.
Superb Pink can also serve as an insecticide, effective in pest control.
Peggie was once a high school mathematics teacher, but she set aside her chalkboard and textbooks to follow her lifelong passion for flowers. After years of dedication and learning, she not only established a thriving flower shop but also founded this blog, “Flowers Library”. If you have any questions or wish to learn more about flowers, feel free to contact Peggie.
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