Gypsophila paniculata

Gypsophila paniculata, the babys breath, common gypsophila or panicled babys-breath, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to central and eastern Europe. It is an herbaceous perennial growing to 1.2 m (4 ft) tall and wide, with mounds of branching stems covered in clouds of tiny white flowers in summer (hence the common name babys breath). Another possible source of this name is its scent, which has been described as sour milk, like a babys spit-up. Its natural habitat is on the Steppes in dry, sandy and stony places, often on calcareous soils (gypsophila - chalk-loving). Specimens of this plant were first sent to Linnaeus from St. Petersburg by the Swiss-Russian botanist Johann Amman.