06)+Sweet+William

== = = =Sweet William=

//Dianthus barbatus//

Caryophyllaceae - the "Pink Family"

media type="file" key="SW2.wav"
 * Podcast with Script:**

Pictures:


 * [[image:DSC0994006s.jpg width="180" height="240" caption="Dianthus barbatus - Sweet William"]] || [[image:DSC0994018s.jpg width="240" height="180" caption="Sweet William's Leaves"]] ||
 * [[image:DSC0994012s.jpg width="240" height="180" caption="Sweet William Blossoms"]] || [[image:DSC0994017s.jpg width="240" height="180" caption="Sweet William flower with bud and reproductive parts"]] ||

Classification:
Angiosperm

Dicot

Monoecious

Family characteristics:
//Dianthus barbatus// is a low mounded, grass-like foliage, short-lived, perennial plant with pink, red, purple, white, or violet flowers which can be often bicolored. These flowers are very showy and beautiful and often attract butterflies, insects, and other pollinating insects. Each flower has 5 petals and 5 sepals. The flowers are around 1 inch in diameter have a spicy, clove-like scent when brushed up against. The edges of each petal are serrated and in some flowers, the middle of the flower is darker and then radiates out in a lighter or different color, adding to its attractiveness. There are 2 styles that curl out of the opening of the flower that are white and 10 stamen that surround the two styles. The leaves are 1 1/2 inch long and 1/2 inch wide growing in pairs and alternating around the stem. The leaves are green to green-blue and the blade itself is oblanceolate. //Dianthus barbatus// is an angiosperm, meaning a flowering plant. It is also classified as a dicot: 2 cotyledons, branched veins on its leaves, the floral parts often come in multiples of 4-5, its vascular bundles are arranged in a ring, and its anchor to the soil is by a taproot. It blooms in late spring to mid summer. Interestingly enough, //Dianthus barbatus// has its own black seeds so when its life cycle is over with, it will dry up and then numerous seeds will then fall to the ground in order to start its life cycle over again.

Size:
Height of plant: 1 to 3 feet Spread of plant: 6 to 12 inches

Identifying Features:
Flower comes in bright colors such as pink, purple, and red, some with darker splotches in the middles of the flower, radiating out. The flowers grow from a single root and the stems of the flowers branch groups of 5 to 30 stems. On each flower there are 5 petals with serrated edges. The petals are very attractive and beautiful, their colors attracting insects to land on them. Some of the flowers are bunched together, others are by themselves. However, not all of the flowers are in bloom. Some are budding, some are dying. I notice that the flowers unfurl in a twist-like manner. There are 2 styles which curl at the ends, protruding from the mouth of the flower. They can be seen on every flower in bloom. The number of stamen varies from none to 10. This may be due to certain stages in the flowers' bloom. There are about 5 sepals for each flower. The flowers vary around 1 inch in diameter. Sweet William's leaves sprout in pairs of two of alternating stems that are about 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches. There are about 4-5 pairs of alternating leaves and the stems are about 6-8 inches in length. The flower is located on the very top of each stem and can come in groups of 2-10 flowers. The leaves come in a green to blue-green color and are about 1 1/2 inch in length and 1/2 inch wide. The leaves come in a elliptic shape and come to a soft point at the end. They also come in pairs: one opposite the other on the stem. In an almost whorled-like manner, the leaves seem to alternate up the stem. The number of leaves on the stem depends on how tall the stem is as I have noticed from observing the plant. The plant has one root that is attached to the ground, however, the plant seems to spread out and grow a bit horizontally before growing straight up which allows the flowers to have more "growing" space and not be as close together as this bush is a low-lying foliage. The three plants that I observed on the Da Vinci campus are located in the ground, next to a cement hallway. They are spaced pretty evenly within the given area. During part of the day, these plants are in full sun, during other parts of the day, the plant is in almost complete shade. These plants look pretty healthy, but if they were placed in an area with more sun and perhaps in a planter (as to avoid people from stepping on them or throwing gum and other trash on them) they might be able to grow and bloom a bit better. Their surrounding plants are Dusty Miller, Snap Dragon, and a Rose Bush. The Dusty Miller seems to be a bit invasive as it is spilling onto the cement, opposite the Sweet Williams. However, it is not a problem for the Sweet Williams...or at least not yet. The Snap Dragon seems to be utilizing its small space pretty well, sharing it evenly with the Sweet Williams. The Rose Bush is on such a higher level than the Sweet Williams (a taller plant vs. Sweet William's low-lying foliage) that it is not an interference when considering nutrients to be shared and the amount each plant needs to grow in. Sweet William seems to be a fairly neutral plant, equally sharing its space with its surrounding plants.

Location/Habitat:
Sweet William will perform in almost any type of soil neutral to slightly alkaline that is well drained with moderate moisture. The pH of the soil should be around 4.5 to 6.5 and the soil type should be sandy loam to loam. It prefers to have normal water to moist water in order to thrive in an environment. It grows best in full sun however, in especially hot regions, it should be given partial shade. Sweet William does best in cooler weather, such as the South, but with the right conditions, it will survive a hot summer. It will be best to water it frequently if the temperature is quite hot and make sure it is not wilting due to too much sun/heat exposure. It lives in a hardiness zone of 3-9 with a range of temperatures from -40 degrees Celsius to -1 degrees Celsius. Sweet William is not an invasive plant and does well with others, however it does have threats - slugs, sow bugs, grasshoppers, chipmunks, squirrels, and deer commonly cause problems. Fungal diseases are common in humid regions and poorly drained soil. When assessing whether or not Sweet William is in the right habitat on the Da Vinci campus, I would say it is an ideal condition, however, it would be healthier if someone were to monitor the water in take and out take to see whether or not the drainage of water is ideal for the plant and its location. Its environment is good, as well, because it is located in sun for the majority of the time, however, its location on the campus could be a bit better: it is now located next to a main hallway and students tend to throw trash and other sorts of gum into the plants. It would help if the plant were to be moved to a "safer" location on the campus.

[[image:Dianthus%20barbatus%2001001.jpg width="256" height="187" caption="Full sun, as shown in the above picture, is ideal for Sweet William"]]
Sweet William requires full sun in order to thrive however, if planted unusually hot regions, it should be planted in partial shade. It requires normal to moist soil but this will vary depending on the location of the plant and the environment that the plant is in. Sweet William requires that the soil be moist to a normal amount of water depending on that region. Sometimes a water ring will allow water to seep into the roots quickly. Soil is moist without being soggy because the texture of the soil allows excess moisture to drain away. Sweet William will like about 1 inch of water per week. The key to watering is to water less frequently and water deep when you do water. It is also to water early in the morning or later in the afternoon to cut down on plant stress.

Reproduction:
//Dianthus barbatus//, Sweet William is monoecious. Monoecious is when the plant has both male and female reproductive units. Androecium, known as the male reproductive organ, is a simple filament called stamen which are topped with pollen producing anther. Anther is the pollen bearing part at the upper end of the stamen of flower. At the tip of the slender, stem-like filament there are two lobes each containing two pollen sacs. When the pollen matures in the sacs, the lobes of the anthers burst open in a process known as dehiscence to release the pollen. //Dianthus barbatus// has 10 stamens. Gynoecium, the female reproductive organ, is in the form of a capsule in the base of the flower known as a carpel. The group of carpels together is known as the pistil. Each carpel contains an ovary which produces ovules (female reproductive cells) which develop into seeds. Pollen from the stamen (the male reproductive organ) reaches the ovules through a tube called a style, after being collected on the protruding stigma. This is the way that //Dianthus barbatus// is able to pollinate itself without the aid of insects or other organisms - it is other known as self-seeding. Because Sweet William has both gynoecia and androecia it is also known as the perfect flower. It reproduces during late spring, early summer (late May through August) depending on the temperature. //Dianthus barbatus// is able to reproduce in any living condition/temperature as long as it is located in a stable, healthy environment. The seeds will dry and then be released into the environment during June-August. Because Sweet William is a biennial plant is has two year life cycles so it only grows leaves in the first season from the seed and in the second season it blooms, seeds, and then dies with the first frost, ready to begin its cycle again. When the new seed falls from the drying flower, it can be predicted that the seed will flower in the late spring of the following year. Sweet William will grow quite readily from seed if it is in its optimum growing conditions.

Additional Information:

 * In Missouri //Dianthus barbatus// is the most common species of genus to be cultivated in the state.
 * In the Victorian language of flowers, //Dianthus barbatus// symbolizes gallantry.
 * //Dianthus// comes from the Greek words "dios" meaning divine and "anthos" meaning flowers.

Sources: [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []
 * []**

Created by: Monica Fadel Spring of 2010