sweet william

a pink, Dianthus barbatus, having clusters of small, variously colored flowers.

Also, sweet William. Also called bunch pink.

[1555-65]

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Garden plant (Dianthus barbatus) in the pink family, grown for its clusters of small, brightly coloured flowers.

It usually grows as a biennial, with seed sown the first year producing spring-flowering plants the second year. The plants grow about 2 ft (60 cm) high and produce numerous flowers with fringed petals in white, pink, or rose to violet, sometimes also bicoloured.

Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus)

Grant Heilman

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▪ plant

also called  Bunch Pink 

 (Dianthus barbatus), familiar old-fashioned garden plant, in the pink family (Caryophyllaceae), grown for its clusters of small bright-coloured flowers. It is usually treated as a garden biennial, seed sown the first year producing flowering plants the second year. The plant, growing to a height of 60 centimetres (2 feet), produces numerous flowers—white, pink, rose to violet, or sometimes bicoloured—with fringed petals.

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