Pink

Pink (Dianthus), a genus of plants of the natural order Caryophyllaceæ, of which there are many (some 230) species, annuals and perennials, with beautiful and often fragrant flowers, chiefly natives of Europe and the temperate parts of Asia. The calyx is tubular, 5-toothed, with two or four scales at the base; there are five petals suddenly contracted at the throat of the corolla into a linear claw. There are ten stamens, and one ovary with two styles. The capsule is cylindrical and one-celled. The exquisite beauty of the flowers has attracted admiration in all ages; and some of the species have long been much cultivated in gardens, particularly the Garden Pink and Carnation (q.v.), which are often referred to one original, the Clove Pink (D. caryophyllus), a native of the south of Europe, growing wild on rocks and old walls, and naturalised in some places in the south of England; whilst some botanists refer the garden pinks with more probability in part to the Maiden Pink (D. deltoides), a pretty common British species, and those called Pheasant-eye pinks to the Feather Pink (D. plumarius), a native of some parts of continental Europe. The varieties of the garden pink and the pheasant-eye pink, which are usually designated the florists' pink, are of much less antiquity than the carnation as garden ornaments. Gerard scarcely mentions them, while in Parkinson's time they appear only to have been cultivated as other hardy perennials and annuals were, without any special care. Their capabilities as choice florists' flowers were recognised about 1810, and the number of varieties has since then greatly increased. Nearly allied to them is D. superbus, found in moist places in some parts of Europe, and not unfrequently to be seen in flower-borders. It has very fragrant flowers. Both single and double pinks are generally propagated by pipings, which are short cuttings of the younger shoots. They are also sometimes propagated by layers. A rich loamy soil is the best for pinks. The Maiden Pink is a small, much-branched plant, growing in grassy places, on gravelly and sandy soils; it has rose-coloured flowers spotted with white, and a white eye encircled by a deep purple ring. The Deptford Pink (D. armeria) and the Clustered Pink, or Childing Pink (D. prolifer), also natives of England, differ from these in being annuals, and in having clustered flowers. The Bearded Pink, or Sweet William (D. barbatus), a native of the middle of Europe and the south of France, with lanceolate leaves, flowers crowded in dense clusters at the top of the stem, acuminated bracts, and bearded petals, has long been a favourite garden-flower, still retaining its place alike in palace and cottage gardens. Although perennial, it is sown annually by florists, to secure fine flowers, and there are many varieties, single and double, exhibiting much diversity of colour. The Mule Pink, or Fielding's Pink, a choice kind, is supposed to be a hybrid between the Sweet William and the Picotee. The Indian Pink, or China Pink (D. chinensis), is now also common in flower-gardens. The Clove Pink was formerly regarded as possessing medicinal properties, and was used in nervous maladies. See F. N. Williams, The Pink of Central Europe (1890).—Sea-pink is a common name of Thrift (q.v.).