Gypsophila Gypsophila Gypsophila is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae. They are native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. Turkey has a particularly high diversity of "Gypsophila" taxa, with about 35 endemic species. Some "Gypsophila" are introduced species in other regions. The genus name is from the Greek "gypsos" ("gypsum") and "philios" ("loving"), a reference to the gypsum-rich substrates on which some species grow. Plants of the genus are known commonly as baby's-breath, aka babe's breath. a name which also refers specifically to the well known ornamental species "Gypsophila paniculata". "Gypsophila" are annual and perennial
Sidalcea within this genus, although an ancestral annual state with annual paraphyly is also possible. Further, evolution rates within annual "Sidalcea" lineages appear to be faster than those of perennial lineages, at least when examining nuclear ribosomal DNA (internal and external transcribed spacer regions). Selected species: Garden cultivars are hybrids between "S. candida" and "S. malviflora". The cultivars "Elsie Heugh" and "William Smith" have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Sidalcea Sidalcea is a genus (approx. 25 species) of the botanical family Malvaceae. It contains several species of flowering plants known generally as checkerblooms or checkermallows, or prairie