General:
Perennial herb from a stout, branched rhizome and long stolons; stems erect or ascending, several, simple or branched above, glabrous or nearly glabrous, forming large clumps, 30-90 cm tall.

Leaves:
Basal leaves lacking; stem leaves opposite, as many as 20 pairs, lanceolate to oblanceolate, 4-10 cm long, 1.5-4 cm wide, short-stalked or the upper ones unstalked; stipules lacking.

Flowers:
Inflorescence of numerous flowers in many tight clusters, fragrant, often double; petals 5, white to pink, stalklike at the base, stalk of the petals usually slightly exceeding the calyces, the blade mostly 10-15 mm long, egg-shaped to wedge-shaped with 2 linear appendages near the base, shallowly notched at the tip; sepals 5, green, united, forming a tube 15-20 mm long, with 5 teeth at the tip.

Fruits:
Oblong to narrowly egg-shaped capsules, to 25 mm long, 4- or 5-valved; seeds black, about 1.7 mm long, concentrically pimply.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Illustration Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Flower Colour:
Purple

Blooming Period:
Late Spring

Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present over the Summer

Source:  The USDA

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Lychnis saponaria Jessen
Saponaria officinalis var. glaberrima Ser.