Silene dioica
Silene invisa
red campion, red catchfly, silène dioïque
red fir catchfly, short-petal campion
ascending, decumbent at base, branched, shortly rhizomatous, to 80 cm, softly pubescent, ± glandular, at least distally, rarely subglabrous.
several, erect, unbranched proximal to inflorescence, 10–40 cm, puberulent.
sessile at mid and distal stem, petiolate to spatulate proximally;
petiole equaling or longer than blade of basal leaves;
blade ovate to elliptic, 3–13 cm × 10–50 mm (not including petiole), apex acute to acuminate, sparingly pubescent, densely so on abaxial midrib.
mostly basal, petiolate, blade oblanceolate or spatulate, 1.5–5 cm × 2–6 mm, apex acute, glabrous except for a few cilia on petiole;
cauline leaves in 2–4 pairs, reduced distally, blade linear to narrowly lanceolate or oblanceolate, 2–7 cm × 2–6 mm.
dichasial cymes, several- to many-flowered, open, bracteate;
bracts lanceolate, 4–20 × 2–7 mm, herbaceous, softly hairy throughout with long-septate hairs, not glandular, or with some glandular hairs.
cymose, 1–3-flowered, open, bracteate;
cyme 1, terminal, often with 1 flower at next node;
bracts linear-lanceolate, 5–20 mm.
ascending, 0.2–3 cm, usually shorter than calyx.
erect, from 0.5 cm, lengthening to 3 cm in fruit, gray and somewhat retrorse-puberulent with stipitate-glandular hairs.
unisexual, some plants having only staminate flowers, others having only pistillate flowers, 20–25 mm diam.;
calyx 8–12-veined, campanulate, narrowly so in staminate flowers, broadly in pistillate, 10–15 × to 7 mm in flower, 11 mm broad in fruit, herbaceous, margins dentate, softly pubescent, lobes 5, erect, lanceolate, 2–3 mm;
petals bright pink, clawed, claw equaling or longer than calyx, limb spreading horizontally, broadly obovate, unlobed or 2-lobed, to 12 × 12 mm, appendages 4, ca. 1 mm;
stamens and stigmas equaling petal claw;
styles 5.
calyx prominently 10-veined, veins parallel, green, with pale commissures, broadened in lobes, narrowly campanulate and 7–11 × 3–4 mm in flower, campanulate and 8–12 × 4–5 mm in fruit, tending to broaden proximally, glandular-puberulent, lobes 5, erect, lanceolate, 1–2 mm, apex blunt;
petals cream to pink, often tinged with dusky purple, slightly longer than calyx, limb 1–2 mm, unlobed or apex notched;
stamens equaling calyx;
stigmas 3, equaling calyx.
broadly ovoid to globose, equaling and often splitting calyx, opening by 5 (splitting into 10) revolute teeth;
carpophore absent.
narrowly ovoid, 10–13 mm, slightly longer than calyx, opening with 6 outwardly curved teeth;
carpophore shorter than 1 mm.
dark brown to black, broadly reniform, plump, 1–1.6 mm, densely and evenly papillate.
brown, reniform, angular, 0.7–1 mm, margins with large, balloonlike papillae, sides rugose.
= 24.
= 48.
Silene dioica
Silene invisa
Silene dioica is closely related to S. latifolia and completely interfertile with it. The two species hybridize wherever they grow in close proximity, and the offspring (S. hampeana Meusel & K. Werner) usually have pale pink flowers. Silene dioica and S. latifolia are difficult to separate in herbarium material unless flower color has been noted. The characters that distinguish S. dioica are the usually dense, long, and soft pubescence covering at least the distal portion of the plant; the broad, almost globose, thin, and brittle capsule with revolute teeth; and the softer, thinner, usually broader leaves. Occasionally, double-flowered plants are encountered as garden escapes.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Silene invisa is found in the Cascades and Sierra Nevada. It is a rare species very similar to S. drummondii, from which it can usually be distinguished by its smaller size, glabrous leaves, and the large, inflated papillae of the seeds. Plants with intermediate characters occur in Nevada and Arizona.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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