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Key identifying traits
Sweet scented, tiny star-shaped, white flowers composed of 5 sepals
and 5 petals
Used widely as an ornamental (floral arrangements)
Leaves are opposite, lance-shaped and arise at swollen nodes
characteristic of the Pink family
Fruit is a small capsule containing 2 to 5 seeds
Seeds are kidney-shaped and black
Plants have many flowering branches growing in a rounded habit; can
grow to 3 feet in height
Branches and stems are a bluish-green color
Biology and ecology
- A perennial reproducing from seeds
- Plants are capable of producing 14,000 seeds
- Seeds require little or no dormancy to germinate
- Baby’s breath was introduced as an ornamental from Europe
- At maturity plants will break and tumble in the wind spreading seeds
- There are several annual garden varieties
- Grows in waste areas, roadsides, and pastures-seems to thrive in
dry, sandy soils
- Widely distributed throughout the northern United States and Canada
Control
Prevention – Learn to identify
plants; know your property; do not allow ornamentals to escape
Biological – No known biological control
Cultural – Once established will form dense stands that are
difficult to control
Mechanical – It will not withstand cultivation; mowing before
seed development will help control it but will not kill it
Chemical –
The
PNW Weed Management Handbook does not list this weed for specific chemical recommendations |
bushy plant
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