Deptford Pink - Dianthus armeria

The Deptford Pink is an upright plant. The flowers are stalkless and a rosy colour, about 1 cm in diameter. The leaf rosette at the base of the plant is green, a feature that distinguishes it from some other members of the pink family, which have grey-green leaves.

Records must be supported by detailed photographs. This is a very rare as a native plant in VC55 and therefore a specimen should not be taken.  Take detailed field photos and submit to NatureSpot as soon as possible; and if you think you have found it in a new location, inform the County Recorder as soon you can. (RPR)

Deptford Pink is a plant of disturbed ground such as tracks, field edges and hedgerows, and dry pasture. It prefers light, dry, sandy soil with a high pH, indicating alkaline conditions.

Flowers in July and August.

Biennial – it is an incredibly prolific seed producer. Each plant can shed up to 400 seeds. Seeds disperse in late summer and a rosette of leaves grows the following year. The plant finally flowers the year after that.

The Deptford pink is listed under the UK Biodiversity Action Plans and included in English Nature's Species Recovery Programme. It is also part of Plantlife's 'Back from the Brink' project.

England Red List: Endangered. GB Red List: Endangered.

Very rare in Leicestershire and Rutland; believed to be native in only one site.

It was not recorded in the Flora of Leicestershire (Primavesi and Evans 1988) or  the Flora of Rutland (Messenger 1971).

It is listed on the current VC55 Rare Plant Register (Hall and Woodward 2022) as Locally Rare (i.e. present in less than 3 sites)