Bouncing Bet. Soapwort.
Saponaria officinalis. Pink Family.
Stem.—Rather stout, swollen at the joints. Leaves.—Oval, opposite. Flowers.—Pink or white, clustered. Calyx.—Of five united sepals. Corolla.—Of five pinkish, long-clawed petals (frequently the flowers are double). Stamens.—Ten. Pistil.—One, with two styles.
A cheery pretty plant is this with large, rose-tinged flowers which are especially effective when double.
PLATE LXX
BOUNCING BET.—S. officinalis.
Bouncing Bet is of a sociable turn and is seldom found far from civilization, delighting in the proximity of farm-houses and their belongings, in the shape of children, chickens, and cattle. She comes to us from England, and her “feminine comeliness and bounce” suggest to Mr. Burroughs a Yorkshire housemaid. The generic name is from sapo—soap, and refers to the lather which the juice forms with water, and which is said to have been used as a substitute for soap.
Steeple-bush. Hardhack.
Spiræa tomentosa. Rose Family.
Stems.—Very woolly. Leaves.—Alternate, oval, toothed. Flowers.—Small, pink, in pyramidal clusters. Calyx.—Five-cleft. Corolla.—Of five rounded petals. Stamens.—Numerous. Pistils.—Five to eight.
The pink spires of this shrub justify its rather unpoetic name of steeple-bush. It is closely allied to the meadow-sweet (Pl. XXVI.), blossoming with it in low grounds during the summer. It differs from that plant in the color of its flowers and in the woolliness of its stems and the lower surface of its leaves.