Plant of the day is: Petrorhagia saxifraga or tunic flower

Plant of the day is: Petrorhagia saxifraga or tunic flower

An uncommon little perennial plant often coined as a 'miniature baby's breath'

Pronounced: pet-row-RAY-jee-ah saks-i-FRAH-ga .  It's for fun.

Greek origin: petros = rock, rhagas = chink

Latin origin: saxum = rock/stone, frangere = to break

Mixing and matching.  Oye.  See also family Saxifragaceae.  All this in reference to its propensity to grow in/around rocks.

Taxonomy:  Another member of the Caryophyllaceae or pink/carnation family.  Petrorhagia was previously listed as Tunica and there is still a fair bit of information out there that references as such.  It is a relatively small genus with only about 23 accepted genera.  An interesting botanical term to run across for the family description is that the stamens of the flowers are isomerous to the perianth.  Which means...they are the same number as  the parts of the corolla and caylx.  Often there are 5 petals and 5 sepals for the flower making for...you guessed it, 5 stamens (sometimes 10).

I spoil you ya know?

A nice close up.

 Description:  I've spent quite a bit on the rest of the post and this is the last one.  Running out of gas in the tank!  That being said, this a small little compact plant that is likely a great addition when space is limited and you want little pop in the summer months.  These are supposed to kick out flowers for quite awhile cut back old flowers and it supposedly reblooms.  The foliage only grows to about 4 inches in height while the flowers rise up to about 12 inches.  The flowers can vary quite a bit in color from pinks, whites, and purples with some great streaks of color thrown in.  A native of Pyrenees, Turkey, and southern and central Europe and has been in cultivation since 1774.  Despite it's rather uncommon presence I feel like it could make a bit of a come back.

Culture:  One site lists as zone hardy 4-10 one site listed as 4-8 and another from 2-9 so take your pick I guess. A fan of full sun and dry soils.  Some sites report that good drainage is a requirement while others indicate that it is actually quite tolerant of clay soils.  If I had to venture a guess I would say that lower spots with heavier clay will prove to be a problem for these.  I'm often surprised by some of the plants that grow in my very heavy clay soil at home.  The trick is just to not water much (if at all) during the summer and often times those plants will pull through the spring just fine.

Introduction:  No, not like meeting someone, but a species that has been moved from its home.  USDA website lists this occurring in small random pockets of scattered counties in several states.  I found an article from the Illinois Plant Information Network that noted they were identified in Champaign county but that they were fairly rare?  They do set seed well but I have a feeling they aren't strong competitors.  Certainly worth watching with keen interest however.

http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/delaware/ilpin/2128.co

An't you glad I picked such a pretty flower today?

And yes, I'm experimenting with formatting ...still not sure what I like.  Work in progress.  Deal.