Burke: Silene suksdorfii vs. Silene menziesii

	Silene suksdorfii	Silene menziesii
	Cascade catchfly, Suksdorf's catchfly	Menzies's catchfly
Habit	Tufted perennial from a branched crown, the numerous, unbranched, erect stems up to 15 cm. tall, finely pubescent and glandular above.
Leaves	Basal leaves many, linear to linear-lanceolate, 1-2 cm. long and 1.5-2 mm. broad, sessile; cauline leaves similar, usually only 1 or 2 pairs.
Flowers	Flowers few, perfect; calyx 5-lobed, tubular, 10-12 mm. long, with 10 prominent, purple nerves; petals 5, white to greenish or lavender, the claw 8-13 mm. long, the blade 3-5 mm. long, bi-lobed less than half its length, usually with small, lateral teeth; appendages 2, 2.5-3.5 mm. long, hairy; stamens 10; styles usually 3.
Fruits	Capsule 1-celled.

	Silene suksdorfii	Silene menziesii
Flowering time	June-August	May-August
Habitat	Alpine and subalpine slopes, often on talus.	Common in open woods from low elevations to the subalpine.
Distribution	Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; northern Washington to California. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Rocky Mountains. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	S. acaulis, 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. vulgaris	S. acaulis, S. antirrhina, S. bernardina, S. conoidea, S. csereii, S. dichotoma, S. dioica, S. douglasii, S. gallica, S. latifolia, S. noctiflora, S. oregana, S. paradoxa, S. parryi, S. scouleri, S. seelyi, S. spaldingii, S. suksdorfii, S. vulgaris
Web links	Local floras: CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, 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 suksdorfii

Silene menziesii

Cascade catchfly, Suksdorf's catchfly

Menzies's catchfly

Habit

Tufted perennial from a branched crown, the numerous, unbranched, erect stems up to 15 cm. tall, finely pubescent and glandular above.

Leaves

Basal leaves many, linear to linear-lanceolate, 1-2 cm. long and 1.5-2 mm. broad, sessile;

cauline leaves similar, usually only 1 or 2 pairs.

Flowers

Flowers few, perfect;

calyx 5-lobed, tubular, 10-12 mm. long, with 10 prominent, purple nerves;

petals 5, white to greenish or lavender, the claw 8-13 mm. long, the blade 3-5 mm. long, bi-lobed less than half its length, usually with small, lateral teeth; appendages 2, 2.5-3.5 mm. long, hairy;

stamens 10;

styles usually 3.

Fruits

Capsule 1-celled.