Burke: Silene acaulis

	Silene acaulis
	moss campion
Habit	Cushion-like perennial from a woody root and branched crown, forming dense mats up to 3 dm. broad; flowering stems 3-6 cm. tall.
Leaves	Leaves mostly basal, staying attached for many years, linear to linear-lanceolate, sessile, 4-10 mm. long, glabrous or scabrous.
Flowers	Flowers single, from nearly sessile or with peduncles up to 4 cm. long, usually dioecious; calyx tubular, 5-lobed, 3-10 mm. long, pinkish; petals 5, pink to lavender, 8-12 mm. long, the claw about twice as long as the blade; blade appendages 2, very small or lacking; stamens 10; styles 3.
Fruits	Capsule 3-celled, opening by 6 teeth.

	Silene acaulis
Flowering time	June-August
Habitat	Rock crevices and talus slopes at high elevations in the mountains
Distribution	Occurring in the Cascades and Olympic Mountains in Washington; Alaska to Oregon, east to the Rocky Mountains, and east across Canada to northeastern North America; circumboreal. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	S. antirrhina, S. bernardina, S. conoidea, S. csereii, S. dichotoma, S. dioica, S. douglasii, S. gallica, S. latifolia, S. menziesii, S. noctiflora, S. oregana, S. paradoxa, S. parryi, S. scouleri, S. seelyi, S. spaldingii, S. suksdorfii, S. vulgaris
Web links	Local floras: BC, OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Silene acaulis

moss campion

Habit

Cushion-like perennial from a woody root and branched crown, forming dense mats up to 3 dm. broad; flowering stems 3-6 cm. tall.

Leaves

Leaves mostly basal, staying attached for many years, linear to linear-lanceolate, sessile, 4-10 mm. long, glabrous or scabrous.

Flowers

Flowers single, from nearly sessile or with peduncles up to 4 cm. long, usually dioecious;

calyx tubular, 5-lobed, 3-10 mm. long, pinkish;

petals 5, pink to lavender, 8-12 mm. long, the claw about twice as long as the blade;

blade appendages 2, very small or lacking;

stamens 10;

styles 3.

Fruits

Capsule 3-celled, opening by 6 teeth.

Silene acaulis

Flowering time

June-August

Habitat

Rock crevices and talus slopes at high elevations in the mountains

Distribution

Occurring in the Cascades and Olympic Mountains in Washington; Alaska to Oregon, east to the Rocky Mountains, and east across Canada to northeastern North America; circumboreal.

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Origin

Native

Conservation status

Not of concern

Sibling taxa