Carnations (Dianthus), which you love, belong to the carnation family, a family of plants mostly native to the northern hemisphere. These also include numerous other species used as ornamental and medicinal plants, including the campion herbs, also known as carnations, or the very rare corn cobs.
What are typical representatives of the carnation family?
Caryophyllaceae are a family of plants with about 2.200 species, mostly native to the northern hemisphere. These include the popular carnations (Dianthus), carnations (Silene) and corn cobs (Agrostemma). These sun-loving plants are often used as ornamental and medicinal plants.
What are carnations?
Most of the approximately 2,200 different carnation plants - around 70 of which are also cultivated as ornamental plants - are one- to two-year-old, herbaceous and often mat-forming plants. This plant family mainly forms capsule fruits and reproduces through seeds, which is why many of the ornamental species self-sow quite reliably. As a rule, clove plants prefer open vegetation and are therefore primarily found in sunny meadows etc. In general, the plant family is considered to be extremely sun-loving.
Use of clove plants
Most of the approximately 70 carnation plants cultivated as ornamental plants are cultivated purely as ornaments in gardens and planters, especially the Dianthus species. Others, in turn, contain high levels of saponins and sapogenins and were therefore also used in folk medicine or were used to make soap. Caution is advised with the corn wheel, as it is one of the few representatives of the carnation family and is highly poisonous.
Clove plants used as ornamental and medicinal plants
In the table below you will find some of the carnation plants 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 now become extremely rare and is threatened with extinction.
| German name | Latin name | Description | Bloom | Origin | Usage | Special feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corn Wheel | Agrostemma | annual, herbaceous | purple-violet to pink | Europe | ornamental plant | highly toxic |
| Sand herbs | Arenaria | cushion-forming, one- to two-year-old | mostly white | Northern Hemisphere | ornamental plant | field weeds |
| horn herbs | Cerastium | mostly annual, herbaceous | mostly white | Northern Hemisphere | Ornamental plant in the rock garden | v. a. Felted Hornwort |
| Carnations | Dianthus | annual or biennial, herbaceous | many colors | Northern Hemisphere | Ornamental plant, folk medicine | very popular ornamental plant |
| gypsum herbs | Gypsophila | mostly annual, herbaceous | mostly white | Mediterranean Region | Ornamental plant, as detergent | v. a. Gypsophila |
| Calympia | Silene | annual or biennial, herbaceous | many colors | Northern Hemisphere | ornamental plant | 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 | violet, red, pink, yellow | Europe | Ornamental plant, detergent | v. a. Common soapwort (Saponaria officinalis) |
| Tangled herbs | Scleranthus | one- to two-year-old, herbaceous | greenish-white | Northern Hemisphere | ornamental plant | forms cushion |
Tip
The popular carnations and carnations are among the largest genera within the carnation family: Silene includes between 200 and 300 different species, Dianthus even up to 600. This offers a lot of colorful variety in the home garden.