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Deptford Pink

Dianthus armeria

Found in fields, roadsides, pastures.

Source 1

What its natural habitat tells you

-30
Harmful

Not native to Mississippi. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height
8–24 inches
Spread
Not recorded
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist
Life cycle
Annual or biennial
Leaves
Not recorded
Bloom
May to September

Do not plant. Listed invasive in Mississippi.

Where it grows in Mississippi

County records and the places it grows wild. Neither is a planting requirement.

6 Mississippi counties with a record

Natural habitats

All habitats in Mississippi

Ecological relationships

Wildlife it supports

What these records mean

14CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS

Genus host records with ranges including MS · Dianthus

  • Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
  • Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Hadena capsularisCapsule Moth
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
  • Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
  • Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
  • Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
Show all 14
  • Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
  • Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth

Source 2

No bees, Specialist bees or Birds recorded for this plant yet.

Growing and identification

Plant details

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Family
Caryophyllaceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–8b
Soil pH
Neutral
Flower color
Pink, purple or white

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Sources 1, 3, 4

Conservation status

Mississippi rankNot available
Global rankGNR
MS statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Sources 5, 6

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources

  1. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition Bloom; Natural habitat
  2. Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL) Caterpillars
  3. NC Extension Plant Toolbox Flower color; Hardiness; Life cycle; Light; Soil; Soil pH
  4. Minnesota Wildflowers Height
  5. Conservation source Conservation status
  6. Global and federal source Conservation status
  7. Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0 Bees
  8. Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0 Specialist bees
  9. Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0) Birds
  10. USDA PLANTS
  11. Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications
Each fact, its source and scope