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red campion, red catchfly, silène dioïque

taimyr campion, taimyr catchfly

Habit Plants perennial; taproot slender. Plants perennial, densely cespitose; taproot stout, fleshy; caudex tightly branched.
Stems

ascending, decumbent at base, branched, shortly rhizomatous, to 80 cm, softly pubescent, ± glandular, at least distally, rarely subglabrous.

1–many, erect, simple, slender, 10–30 cm, glandular-pubescent.

Leaves

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.

connate basally, blade ciliate at base, pubescent on both surfaces;

basal numerous, ± petiolate, blade linear-oblanceolate, 1–5 cm × 1–5 mm, somewhat fleshy, apex ± acute;

cauline in 1–3 pairs, sessile, blade linear to linear-lanceolate, 1–4 cm × 1–3 mm, apex ± acute.

Inflorescences

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, terminal, (1–)3-flowered, rarely with 1–2 flowers at proximal nodes, bracteate, bracteolate;

bracts and bracteoles leaflike, 2–10 mm.

Pedicels

ascending, 0.2–3 cm, usually shorter than calyx.

usually shorter than calyx, rarely much longer, densely pubescent with purple-septate glandular hairs but not viscid.

Flowers

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, elliptic to campanulate, not inflated, not or slightly contracted at mouth, 8–9 × 3–5 mm in flower, 10–12 × 5–6 mm in fruit, to 2 times as long as broad, papery, veins green or purple, densely pubescent, with purple-septate hairs, lobes spreading, lanceolate-triangular, ca. 2 mm, margins purple tinged, round, broad, membranous;

corolla white to pink, clawed, ca. 11/4 times longer than calyx, claw equaling calyx, limb not differentiated from claw, obovate, emarginate to 2-lobed, shorter than calyx, appendages 2, ca. 1 mm;

stamens equaling petals;

styles 5, equaling petals.

Capsules

broadly ovoid to globose, equaling and often splitting calyx, opening by 5 (splitting into 10) revolute teeth;

carpophore absent.

ovoid-ellipsoid, slightly longer than calyx, opening by 5 recurved teeth;

carpophore shorter than 1 mm.

Seeds

dark brown to black, broadly reniform, plump, 1–1.6 mm, densely and evenly papillate.

brown, not winged, reniform, angular, less than 1 mm broad, finely papillate.

2n

= 24.

= 24, 48, 72.

Silene dioica

Silene ostenfeldii

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering early summer.
Habitat Woodlands, hedges, gardens, riverbanks, open waste places Gravelly tundra, rocky ledges, talus, river outwash, grassy areas
Elevation 0-500 m (0-1600 ft) 0-1800 m (0-5900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CT; IA; IL; MA; MD; ME; MT; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SD; VT; WA; WI; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; QC; Europe [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; BC; NT; NU; YT; e Asia (Russian Far East)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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 ostenfeldii, an amphi-Beringian species, is very similar to S. involucrata subsp. tenella. However, it lacks the wing on the seeds, and its mature calyx tends to be more elliptic than campanulate. It may be confused also with S. sorensenis, but that species has larger seeds and calyces and is a sturdier plant with a denser, longer, somewhat woolly pubescence.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 181. FNA vol. 5, p. 196.
Parent taxa Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Caryophylloideae > Silene Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Caryophylloideae > Silene
Sibling taxa
S. acaulis, S. antirrhina, S. aperta, S. armeria, S. bernardina, S. bridgesii, S. campanulata, S. caroliniana, S. chalcedonica, S. conica, S. coniflora, S. conoidea, S. coronaria, S. csereii, S. dichotoma, S. douglasii, S. drummondii, S. flos-cuculi, S. gallica, S. grayi, S. hitchguirei, S. hookeri, S. invisa, S. involucrata, S. kingii, S. laciniata, S. latifolia, S. lemmonii, S. marmorensis, S. menziesii, S. nachlingerae, S. nivea, S. noctiflora, S. nuda, S. occidentalis, S. oregana, S. ostenfeldii, S. ovata, S. parishii, S. parryi, S. pendula, S. petersonii, S. plankii, S. polypetala, S. pseudatocion, S. rectiramea, S. regia, S. repens, S. rotundifolia, S. sargentii, S. scaposa, S. scouleri, S. seelyi, S. serpentinicola, S. sibirica, S. sorensenis, S. spaldingii, S. stellata, S. subciliata, S. suecica, S. suksdorfii, S. thurberi, S. uralensis, S. verecunda, S. virginica, S. viscaria, S. vulgaris, S. williamsii, S. wrightii
S. acaulis, S. antirrhina, S. aperta, S. armeria, S. bernardina, S. bridgesii, S. campanulata, S. caroliniana, S. chalcedonica, S. conica, S. coniflora, S. conoidea, S. coronaria, S. csereii, S. dichotoma, S. dioica, S. douglasii, S. drummondii, S. flos-cuculi, S. gallica, S. grayi, S. hitchguirei, S. hookeri, S. invisa, S. involucrata, S. kingii, S. laciniata, S. latifolia, S. lemmonii, S. marmorensis, S. menziesii, S. nachlingerae, S. nivea, S. noctiflora, S. nuda, S. occidentalis, S. oregana, S. ovata, S. parishii, S. parryi, S. pendula, S. petersonii, S. plankii, S. polypetala, S. pseudatocion, S. rectiramea, S. regia, S. repens, S. rotundifolia, S. sargentii, S. scaposa, S. scouleri, S. seelyi, S. serpentinicola, S. sibirica, S. sorensenis, S. spaldingii, S. stellata, S. subciliata, S. suecica, S. suksdorfii, S. thurberi, S. uralensis, S. verecunda, S. virginica, S. viscaria, S. vulgaris, S. williamsii, S. wrightii
Synonyms Lychnis dioica, Lychnis rubra, Melandrium dioicum, Melandrium dioicum subsp. rubrum, Melandrium rubrum Melandrium ostenfeldii, Gastrolychnis ostenfeldii, Gastrolychnis taimyrensis, Gastrolychnis triflora subsp. dawsonii, Lychnis dawsonii, Lychnis ostenfeldii, Lychnis taimyrense, Lychnis triflora subsp. dawsonii, Lychnis triflora var. dawsonii, Melandrium dawsonii
Name authority (Linnaeus) Clairville: Man. Herbor. Suisse, 146. (1811) (A. E. Porsild) J. K. Morton: Sida 21: 888. (2004)
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