''Gypsophila'' () is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the carnation

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Caryophyllaceae Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactacea ...

. They are

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.''Gypsophila''.
Flora of North America.

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

has a particularly high diversity of ''Gypsophila'' taxa, with about 35

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

species. Some ''Gypsophila'' are

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived there ...

in other regions. The genus name is from the Greek ''gypsos'' ("gypsum") and ''philios'' ("loving"), a reference to the

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywall. ...

-rich substrates on which some species grow. Plants of the genus are known commonly as baby's-breath, or babe's breath,''Gypsophila''.
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) a name which also refers specifically to the well known

ornamental Ornamental may refer to: *Ornamental grass, a type of grass grown as a decoration *Ornamental iron, mild steel that has been formed into decorative shapes, similar to wrought iron work *Ornamental plant, a plant that is grown for its ornamental qua ...

species ''

Gypsophila paniculata ''Gypsophila paniculata'', the baby's breath, common gypsophila or panicled baby's-breath, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to central and eastern Europe. It is an herbaceous perennial growing to tall and wid ...

''.

Description

''Gypsophila'' is one of the most heterogeneous and largest groups in the carnation tribe, Caryophylleae. The genus comprises approximately 150 species of annual or

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herbaceous, creeping or cushion-forming plants, inhabiting primarily the mountainous steppes in the north

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

part of the

Old World The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by the ...

with a diversification hotspot in the

Irano-Turanian region The Irano-Turanian Region is a floristic region located within the Tethyan Subkingdom of the Holarctic Kingdom. It is divided into 12 floristic provinces according to the work of Armen Takhtajan, a Soviet-Armenian botanist who created a classifi ...

. These

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

also show major variation in

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

type ranging from many-flowered lax thyrses or

panicles A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are o ...

(e.g., ''G. elegans'' M.Bieb., ''G. paniculata'' L., ''G. pilosa'' Huds.) to compact head-like cymes ( '' G. capitata'' M.Bieb., '' G. capituliflora'' Rupr., '' G. caricifolia Boiss''.), and few-(uni-)flowered

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

-like monochasia (e.g., '' G. bazorganica'' Rech.f., '' G. saponarioides'' Bornm. & Gauba). Each small flower has a cup-like calyx of white-edged green

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s containing five

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s in shades of white or pink. The fruit is a rounded or oval capsule opening at valves. It contains several brown or black seeds which are often shaped like a

kidney The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blood ...

or a

snail shell The gastropod shell is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, a kind of mollusc. The shell is an exoskeleton, which protects from predators, mechanical damage, and dehydration, but also serves for muscle attachment and calcium storage. Some ...

Uses

A few species are commercially cultivated for several uses, including floristry,

herbal medicine Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern remed ...

, and food. The baby's-breath most commonly used in

flower arrangements Floral design or flower arrangement is the art of using plant materials and flowers to create an eye-catching and balanced composition or display. Evidence of refined floristry is found as far back as the culture of ancient Egypt. Professionally ...

such as bouquets is the common gypsophila, ''G. paniculata''.Henry, M
''Gypsophila paniculata'' L. (baby's breath): ''in vitro'' culture and the production of gypsogenin saponins.
In: ''Medicinal and Aromatic Plants IV ''(pp. 187-206). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. 1993. ''G. elegans'' is also used as a cut flower. The genus is a source of

saponin Saponins (Latin "sapon", soap + "-in", one of), also selectively referred to as triterpene glycosides, are bitter-tasting usually toxic plant-derived organic chemicals that have a foamy quality when agitated in water. They are widely distributed ...

s that can be used for many purposes, including the production of

photographic film Photographic film is a strip or sheet of transparent film base coated on one side with a gelatin photographic emulsion, emulsion containing microscopically small light-sensitive silver halide crystals. The sizes and other characteristics of th ...

and

hemolytic Hemolysis or haemolysis (), also known by several other names, is the rupturing (lysis) of red blood cells (erythrocytes) and the release of their contents (cytoplasm) into surrounding fluid (e.g. blood plasma). Hemolysis may occur in vivo o ...

laboratory

reagent In chemistry, a reagent ( ) or analytical reagent is a substance or compound added to a system to cause a chemical reaction, or test if one occurs. The terms ''reactant'' and ''reagent'' are often used interchangeably, but reactant specifies a ...

s. Their

detergent A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with cleansing properties when in dilute solutions. There are a large variety of detergents, a common family being the alkylbenzene sulfonates, which are soap-like compounds that are more ...

qualities make them useful in

soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are use ...

and

shampoo Shampoo () is a hair care product, typically in the form of a viscous liquid, that is used for cleaning hair. Less commonly, shampoo is available in solid bar format. Shampoo is used by applying it to wet hair, massaging the product into the ...

. ''G. rokejeka'' is used to make the

dessert Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and ...

halva Halva (also halvah, halwa, and other spellings, Persian : حلوا) is a type of confectionery originating from Persia and widely spread throughout the Middle East. The name is used for a broad variety of recipes, generally a thick paste made f ...

. Species are also ingredients in

liqueur A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyond ...

cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...

, and

ice cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as str ...

, providing flavor, aroma, and crispness to foods.Korkmaz, M., et al
Economic importance and using purposes of ''Gypsophila'' L. and ''Ankyropetalum'' Fenzl (Caryophyllaceae) of Türkiye.
In: 2nd International Symposium on Sustainable Development, June 8–9, 2010, Sarajevo. Several species are

hyperaccumulator A hyperaccumulator is a plant capable of growing in soil or water with very high concentrations of metals, absorbing these metals through their roots, and concentrating extremely high levels of metals in their tissues. The metals are concentrated a ...

s of

boron Boron is a chemical element with the symbol B and atomic number 5. In its crystalline form it is a brittle, dark, lustrous metalloid; in its amorphous form it is a brown powder. As the lightest element of the ''boron group'' it has th ...

, and may be planted to absorb the element from polluted soils.

Ecology

Some species are known as weeds, including the "aggressive ornamental" ''G. paniculata'', which invades habitat and competes with native flora. The plant Çöven, '' G. simonii'' is widely distributed throughout Çankırı, where it is a native species, and Turkey. In this study, chemical and physical properties of unripe saponins obtained by extraction from the roots of ''G. simonii'', an endemic plant, were isolated and investigated. Purified aglycones recovered from acid hydrolysis of the saponins were separated by reversed chromatography on a thin layer of silica gel. Phytochemical tests showed the presence of terpenoids in the crude extracts.

Selected species

There are about 150 species in the genus.''Gypsophila''.
The Plant List. Gypsophila aretioides 1

Species include: *'' Gypsophila acantholimoides'' *''

Gypsophila achaia ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila acutifolia ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila adenophora'' *'' Gypsophila adenophylla'' *''

Gypsophila albida ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila altissima ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila antari'' *''

Gypsophila antoninae ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, ...

'' *''

Gypsophila arabica ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila aretioides ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila arrostii ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila aucheri ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila aulieatensis'' *'' Gypsophila australis'' *''

Gypsophila bicolor ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila capituliflora'' *'' Gypsophila caricifolia'' *''

Gypsophila cephalotes ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family (biology), family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native plant, native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila davurica'' *''

Gypsophila desertorum ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family (biology), family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native plant, native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila elegans ''Gypsophila elegans'', the annual baby's-breath or showy baby's-breath, is an ornamental plant native to Asia and Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical siz ...

'' – showy baby's-breath *''

Gypsophila fastigiata ''Gypsophila fastigiata'', the fastigiate gypsophila, is a species of flowering plant of the family Caryophyllaceae Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the d ...

'' – fastigiate gypsophila *''

Gypsophila glandulosa ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila glomerata ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila huashanensis'' *'' Gypsophila imbricata'' *''

Gypsophila intricata ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila iranica ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila krascheninnikovii'' *''

Gypsophila libanotica ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family (biology), family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native plant, native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila licentiana ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila litwinowii ''Gypsophila litwinowii'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to central European Russia, northwest of Voronezh. It is confined to chalk outcrops. References

Gypsophila, litwinowii Endemic flora of Russi ...

'' *''

Gypsophila nana ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila oldhamiana ''Gypsophila oldhamiana'', the Manchurian baby's-breath or Oldham's baby's-breath, is a flowering plant of the family Caryophyllaceae Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is ...

'' – Manchurian baby's-breath, Oldham's baby's-breath *''

Gypsophila pacifica ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila paniculata ''Gypsophila paniculata'', the baby's breath, common gypsophila or panicled baby's-breath, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to central and eastern Europe. It is an herbaceous perennial growing to tall and wid ...

'' – baby's-breath, common gypsophila, panicled baby's-breath *''

Gypsophila patrinii ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila perfoliata ''Gypsophila perfoliata'', the perfoliate gypsophila, is a species of plant in the family Caryophyllaceae Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon ...

'' – perfoliate gypsophila *''

Gypsophila petraea ''Gypsophila petraea'' is a species of the genus ''Gypsophila'' in the plant family Caryophyllaceae. Endemic to the Eastern Carpathians and Southern Carpathians, Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads o ...

'' *'' Gypsophila pilosa'' – Turkish baby's-breath *'' Gypsophila repens'' – alpine gypsophila, creeping baby's-breath *'' Gypsophila rokejeka'' *''

Gypsophila ruscifolia ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila scorzonerifolia'' – glandular baby's-breath, garden baby's-breath *''

Gypsophila sericea ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila silenoides ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila simonii ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila spergulifolia'' *''

Gypsophila spinosa ''Gypsophila spinosa'' is a plant species in the genus ''Gypsophila ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.

'' *'' Gypsophila stevenii'' – Steven's baby's-breath *''

Gypsophila struthium ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila tenuifolia ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila tschiliensis'' *'' Gypsophila uralensis'' *''

Gypsophila venusta ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila viscosa'' *''

Gypsophila wendelboi ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Gypsophila wilhelminae'' *''

Gypsophila xanthochlora ''Gypsophila'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.Psammophiliella ''Psammophiliella'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. It has only one species, ''Psammophiliella muralis'' (synonym ''Gypsophila muralis''), known as annual gypsophila, cushion baby's-breath and low baby's-breath, an a ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q161948 Caryophyllaceae genera Saponaceous plants