Baby's Breath???

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roscoeboscoe Hobart, IN May 04, 2006

Hi,

I have something growing in my yard that I thought was white baby's breath. Now I'm not so sure. The descriptions I've found for the groundcover variety of gypsophila repens shows it to have five petals. What I have has 10 of the tiniest petals ( I had to use a magnifying glass to count them). It looks like the tiniest daisy in the world! There are thousands of unopened blooms on soft, flexible stems that have relatively few leaves. The height is 6" to 8" and it's somewhat tangled. It is very easy to pull out of the ground. This is not a woody plant. It must self-sow because I've never planted this and it seems to return every year.

Could this be some type of weed? Any help would be appreciated!

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Marianinark Compton, AR(Zone 6a) May 05, 2006

Is it Star Chickweed?
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PHDI5

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roscoeboscoe Hobart, IN May 05, 2006

I think you are right! I looked up some information regarding this chickweed and it is a native plant used for rheumatoid arthritis to a skin astringent. It is actually an endangered species in New Jersey. I think it can be invasive, but in my yard it seems to appear in relatively small patches and if I don't want it there it easily rips out.

Thanks for your help. Another garden dilemma solved!

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SalmonMe Springboro, OH(Zone 6a) May 12, 2006

Here's my gypsophila repens 'Rosea', for comparison :)

Thumbnail by SalmonMe
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