What are the other names for baby's breath? A roundup of common aliases

Other names for baby's breath

Baby's breath, originally named double-flowered Gypsophila, also known as po tong qian, is native to the Mediterranean coast. It belongs to the Caryophyllaceae family, genus Gypsophila, and is a perennial herbaceous flower.

Growth habits of baby's breath

Baby's breath prefers a warm, humid environment with plenty of sunlight; it is relatively shade-tolerant and cold-tolerant, and grows best in well-drained, fertile and loose loam soil. The cultivation soil is best if it is slightly alkaline calcareous loam, with good drainage and sunlight. Once the plant height is over 20 cm, the amount of watering should be reduced accordingly; slight drought can promote flowering, and especially after flowering, poor drainage or prolonged rain exposure makes the roots prone to rot. It prefers warmth and dislikes high temperature and excessive humidity; the suitable growing temperature is 10-25°C.

Morphological characteristics of baby's breath

Baby's breath is an evergreen dwarf small shrub, with a plant height of about 65-70 cm; the stems are slender and smooth, with many branches; the leaves are narrow and long, sessile, opposite, and powdery green in color. Baby's breath resembles Gypsophila muralis in appearance, with flowers ranging from white to pale pink. Common ones include: Carmine, with deep rose-red flowers; Large White, with large white flowers; Rose Red, with pale rose-colored flowers. Flowers can be double or single.

Varieties of baby's breath

Fairy: can also be cultivated in summer, blooms year-round, with pure white flowers.

Perfect: not tolerant of low temperatures, with relatively large, crystal-white flowers, suitable for corsages and dried flowers.

Diamond: relatively short plant, vigorous and easy to grow, blooms in autumn, with pure white flowers.

Flamingo: slender stems and branches, blooms in spring, with pale red flowers.

Red Ocean: thick stems, can bloom from spring to autumn, with peach-red flowers.

The flower language of baby's breath

The flower language of baby's breath is: purity, care, longing, supporting role, true love and a pure heart.

Using baby's breath as a filler material in flower arrangements can help handle the relationships of weight, density, hidden and exposed, bending and lifting, near and far, high and low in the arrangement, making the work more layered and profound and fully displaying a sense of three-dimensionality, haziness and fluffiness. For example, arranging just a few rose branches can also show their beauty, but if a bunch of baby's breath is added, it can play an even stronger supporting role, making the theme and the accompanying parts blend harmoniously, with a fully integrated charm, achieving a deep implication in which the solid contains the void and the void is even more solid. A poet described this scene as "red and green trees in every home, white and blue smoke everywhere." This is just like the folk saying: "A good peony still needs green leaves to support it."

The uses of baby's breath

In early summer, baby's breath produces continuous small white flowers; the flowers are lush and delicate, evenly distributed. Like stars, hazy and charming, and also like a tree covered with snow, clear and lovely, it is suitable for planting in flower beds, along roadsides and in flower hedges, and is also very suitable for potted display and bonsai making. Baby's breath is likewise an indispensable filler flower in flower arrangements; inserting a few sprigs of baby's breath into a bouquet adds a touch of charm.

Baby's breath can be used as medicine; it is harvested in summer and autumn when the flowers and leaves are lush, washed, and dried in the shade or used fresh. It can clear heat and promote urination, and resolve phlegm and relieve cough. It is used for acute icteric hepatitis, acute nephritis, whooping cough, urinary tract stones, athlete's foot, herpes zoster, conjunctivitis and erysipelas.