Dianthus deltoides L.
| GB Red List | England Red List | GB Scarcity | Norfolk Scarcity |
| NT | VU | Scarce | Rare |
POSSIBLY Native
Maiden Pink is a perennial herb of dry, usually base-rich, soils overlying chalk and limestone, mica-schist or basalt; sometimes on metal-rich mining spoil or sandy soils and dunes. It can occur in short, closed grassland, but prefers an open sward broken by bare rock or soil. It also occurs as a garden escape (P. S. Lusby in Preston et al, 2002).
The current native status of Maiden Pink in Norfolk is uncertain. Petch and Swann (1968) describe it as 'Native. Rare. On chalk grassland in south-west Norfolk'. The records from Ickburgh forest and Weeting Heath were possibly remnants of native populations, but all other recent records are more likely to be garden escapes (or in one case possibly a deliberate introduction).
| Year | GR | Locality | Recorders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | TF6739 | Heacham | PRC |
| Naturalised near beach huts | |||
| 1992 | TL832961 | Ickburgh forest | GB, KAB |
| TL83259619, in long grass | |||
| 1997 | TL757884 | Weeting Heath | GB, KAB |
| 2005 | TG5212 | Caister-on-Sea | MPG, CD, JBM |
| Area just north of the lifeboat station, garden escape | |||
| 2011 | TF866419 | Burnham Thorpe | BS |
| With a wide range of odd weeds - suspicion of wild-flower seed mixture. | |||
| 2013 | TG100417 | Kelling Heath SSSI | RWE, NNNS |
| TG10034177. 1 plant on road verge (by junction with track). Also near here in 1998, AH, SH | |||