The Temperate Database is in the process of being updated, with new records being added and old ones being checked and brought up to date where necessary. This record has not yet been checked and updated.

Common Name: Tumbling Ted

General Information

Saponaria ocymoides is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.10 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a source of materials.

Known Hazards

The plant contains saponins[].
Although poisonous, saponins also have a range of medicinal applications and many saponin-rich plants are used in herbalism (particularly as emetics, expectorants and febrifuges) or as sources of raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry. Saponins are also found in a number of common foods, such as many beans.
Saponins have a quite bitter flavour and are in general poorly absorbed by the human body, so most pass through without harm. They can be removed by carefully leaching in running water. Thorough cooking, and perhaps changing the cooking water once, will also normally remove most of them. However, it is not advisable to eat large quantities of raw foods that contain saponins.
Saponins are much more toxic to many cold-blooded creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish and make them easy to catch[].

Botanical References

,

Range

Europe.

Habitat

Sunny slopes and rocks, usually limestone, in foothills up to about 2300 metres in the Alps[].

Properties

Habit	Perennial
Height	0.10 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a gritty well-drained sunny dry position on a wall or the edge of a border creeping over a path[]. Grows well in sandy and dry soils[, ]. Prefers a moisture-retentive soil[]. Prefers a lime-free soil[]. Established plants are drought tolerant[].
Hardy to about -15°c[].
There are several named forms selected for their ornamental value[].
Hybridizes with other members of this genus[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

All parts of the plant are rich in saponins and can be used as a soap substitute[]. The saponins are extracted by simmering the plant in water. Plants can be dried for later use[]. A gentle and effective cleaner[].
Plants make a good carpeting ground cover when spaced about 60cm apart each way[].

Propagation

Seed - best if given a short cold stratification. Sow autumn or late winter in a cold frame. The seed usually germinates within 4 weeks. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring or autumn. Very easy, it can be successfully done at any time in the growing season if the plants are kept moist until they are re-established. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.