Soapwort

The meadow has more soapwort this year than ever before, large patches of it. The tiny flowers close up about lunchtime, so it hasn't appeared on blip before as I'm rarely up in the fields before then. Its Latin name is Saponaria from the Latin word for soap. The roots contain high levels of saponin which produces a lather on contact with water.

Medicinally it has been used in the past as a gentle cleanser for dry skin when regular soap would be too harsh, and as an expectorant and a laxative. Much care is needed as saponin is toxic. Other uses are as an additive to produce a head on beer, and for cleaning old or fragile fabrics. I've never tried any of these things, but it is a very pretty addition to our meadow.

One of its local names is Bouncing Bet, nothing to do with the WW2 German landmine of the same name.