Soapy Substance – Identify the Plant
Q: When I was a boy during the 1930s in Savannah, I found a wild plant which, if the leaves were rubbed, yielded a soapy substance. What was that plant?
A: Wild plant expert Shannon Pable (shannonpable.com) says you likely found soapwort, Saponaria officinalis. This hardy perennial can be grown in a sunny bed but it may spread more than you like. You can make a natural soap, or even shampoo, by boiling the leaves, roots and stems. Seeds can be found online.
TAGS:
-
Advertisement
-
Follow Walter
-
Advertisement
-
-
March calendar
The soil is starting to get warmer, so it is time to fertilizer your pansies. Now...
Get The Checklist
-
-
-
name that plant
Post your puzzlers and help others with theirs.
Start Here
-
-
Trending Posts
-
1
Roses – Black Spot Resistant
-
2
St Augustine Lawns – Waiting to Mow
-
3
Sowthistle – Control
-
4
Cuba Trip 2012 – Signs
-
5
Soapy Substance – Identify the Plant
-
1
Carpenter Bee Control – Bert’s Method
-
2
St Augustine Lawns – Waiting to Mow
-
3
Roses – Black Spot Resistant
-
4
I’m retiring from radio (mostly)
-
5
Private Pesticide Applicator Training Classes
-
-
Walter’s Bookshelf
Browse and purchase gardening books by Walter Reeves, plus select titles by other authors.
View books -
Popular topics
Soil Spring Summer Seed Winter Fall Flowers Weed Fertilizer Disease Shade Temperature Pots Oak Pine Pruning Mulch Watering Container Maple Compost Birds Herbicide Tomatoes Azalea Moisture Poison Pears Hydrangea Glyphosate Caterpillar Pests Cherry Roundup Irrigation Pesticide Pre-Emergent Stone Dogwood Peach Spider Pine Straw Magnolia Greenhouse Squash Squirrels Travel Lemon Beans Japanese Maple