Sweet-William is a familiar U.S. garden and cut-flower plant with small, fringed flowers packed into dense, rounded clusters. It is usually grown as a or annual, though it can be a short-lived perennial.
Appearance
- Growth form
- This upright plant is usually 1–2 ft (0.3–0.6 m) tall and 6–12 in (15–30 cm) wide.
- Leaves
- Smooth, narrow leaves are arranged in opposite pairs and are often gray-green or blue-green.
- Flowers
- Dense rounded heads carry many five-petaled flowers in white, pink, red, purple, or bicolor patterns. Narrow, pointed surround the cluster.
- Fruit
- The dry capsule opens into four parts and releases many dark brown seeds.
Look-alikes
China pinkDianthus chinensis
China pink usually shows its larger, flat, deeply fringed flowers more individually. Sweet-William packs smaller flowers into a dense rounded head.
Why they get mixed upBoth are garden pinks with narrow opposite leaves and flowers in similar colors.
annual phloxPhlox drummondii
Annual phlox has five rounded lobes joined into a short flower tube. Sweet-William has five separate petals with toothed tips.
Why they get mixed upBoth can make clusters of small pink, red, or white flowers in gardens.
| Flower arrangement | Petals | |
|---|---|---|
| Sweet-William | dense rounded cluster | separate, toothed petals |
| China pink | looser flowers | separate, deeply fringed petals |
| annual phlox | clustered flowers | rounded lobes joined below |
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- cottage gardens
- borders and cutting gardens
- Range
- It is native from European mountains to northern Korea and has been introduced in many U.S. states, including New York and California.
- Preferred conditions
- Grow it in sun or afternoon shade with moist, well-drained soil.
Growing it
- Propagation
- It can be propagated by seed or division.
- Toxicity
- The foliage is listed as low toxicity if eaten, and contact may briefly irritate skin in some people.
Name and classification
- About the name
- An East Asian variety is known as Dianthus barbatus var. asiaticus.
- Varieties and forms
- Garden varieties include dwarf plants, double flowers, solid colors, and bicolor or patterned flowers.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
14 sources
- iNaturalist Taxon API: Dianthus barbatus
- Dianthus barbatus L. | Plants of the World Online
- 농촌진흥청 정원식물 자료: 수염패랭이꽃
- Dianthus barbatus | NC State Extension
- アメリカナデシコ | 粟国アーカイブス
- 我が国に定着している外来生物（植物）のリスト（暫定版）
- Pinks — Dianthus chinensis | NC State Extension
- English Names for Korean Native Plants | 국립수목원
- Dianthus barbatus var. asiaticus | Plants of the World Online
- 국가표준재배식물목록집 | 국립수목원
- 恵泉草花検定 2025年度春季 出題候補植物リスト
- Minnesota Wildflowers: Dianthus barbatus
- Annual Phlox | NC State Extension
- 국립생물자원관 국가생물종목록 1권