Silene dioica
Silene plankii
red campion, red catchfly, silène dioïque
plank's catchfly, Rio Grande fire pink
ascending, decumbent at base, branched, shortly rhizomatous, to 80 cm, softly pubescent, ± glandular, at least distally, rarely subglabrous.
ascending, branched, wiry, leafy, slender, 10–20 cm, finely retrorse gray-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.
largest in mid-stem region;
blade linear to narrowly lanceolate or oblanceolate, 1–4 cm × 1–5 mm, apex sharply acuminate, glandular-puberulent.
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.
with flowers usually solitary, terminal on branches.
ascending, 0.2–3 cm, usually shorter than calyx.
shorter than calyx, glandular-puberulent.
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 10-veined, tubular, constricted around carpophore, umbilicate, 20–30 × 3–6 mm, papery, green, glandular-puberulent, lobes lanceolate, 2–4 mm, margins membranous, apex acute;
corolla scarlet, clawed, claw equaling calyx, limb obconic, 2-lobed, 7–10 mm, margins entire or crenate, appendages ± lacerate, 1–1.5 mm;
stamens exserted, ± equaling corolla lobes;
styles 3, exserted, ± equaling corolla lobes.
broadly ovoid to globose, equaling and often splitting calyx, opening by 5 (splitting into 10) revolute teeth;
carpophore absent.
narrowly ellipsoid, equaling calyx, opening by 6 recurved, brittle teeth;
carpophore ca. 5 mm.
dark brown to black, broadly reniform, plump, 1–1.6 mm, densely and evenly papillate.
brown, reniform, 1.5 mm, rugose in concentric rings on sides, margins papillate.
= 24.
= 48.
Silene dioica
Silene plankii
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.)
Of conservation concern.
Silene plankii is a close relative of S. laciniata, differing in its compact tufted growth, small and narrow leaves, and shallowly two-lobed petals. It is endemic to the Del Carmen Mountains on either side of the Rio Grande valley. Plants of S. laciniata with a habit and leaves similar to S. plankii but the deeply laciniate petals of S. laciniata occur on the cliffs of Santa Cruz Island off the coast of California.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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