Dianthus Alpinus

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5) Dianthus, Lychnis, Silene and other Caryophyllaceae

Hello. New member here, my first post. I'm growing out a number of Dianthus seeds that I recently purchased. I have a few of what are supposed to be Dianthus Alpinus. A few days ago, one of them, now about 3/4" tall, started to develop what appeared to be mishappen/discolored leaves. Today they had developed enough that it was clear that no, it is flowering. Does this look right?

Thanks.

Close-up of D. alpinus seedling
D. alpinus seedling, dime for scale

Comments

Richard T. Rodich's picture

Richard T. Rodich

Tue, 03/19/2019 - 7:46am

Dianthus hav five petals, but anomalies like yours are bound to be disfigured from what a mature plants flower should be.  Otherwise, this look right so far.  I can't be 100% sure with such a tiny immature plant, but the ID is probably correct.  I've never had a dianthus bloom so precociously, but other species, yes.  You will want to remove the flower, as it is a huge energy sink, preventing further growth of  the plantlet.

RDrzyzgula's picture

RDrzyzgula (not verified)

Tue, 03/19/2019 - 1:49pm
Thank you!
RDrzyzgula's picture

RDrzyzgula (not verified)

Tue, 03/26/2019 - 1:49pm

Just FYI, I removed (most of, with tweezers & magnifying glass) the flower as suggested. Here it is a week later, not quite dead yet. Also here's pictures of its two seed-packet-siblings, doing far better.