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red campion, red catchfly, silène dioïque

apetalous catchfly, mountain campion, nodding campion, Spalding's campion

Habit Plants perennial; taproot slender. Plants perennial, cespitose or not; taproot stout.
Stems

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

erect, branched or simple, 5–40 cm, glabrous or 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.

basal few or numerous, petiolate, blade narrowly oblanceolate, spatulate, 1–13 cm × 1–7 mm, margins ciliate, glabrous or pubescent;

cauline in 1–5 pairs, sessile, much reduced distally, blade linear to lanceolate, 0.1–4 cm × 1–5 mm.

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.

Pedicels

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

slender or stout.

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.

erect or nodding;

calyx prominently 10-veined, ovate-elliptic to broadly campanulate, inflated, 11–18 × 6–13 mm, thin and papery, veins purple or brown, lobes ovate to triangular, 2–3 mm;

corolla dingy pink, purple, or red, claw shorter than to equaling calyx, limb not differentiated from claw, ovate or obovate, unlobed to 2-lobed, 1–4 mm;

stamens shorter than petals;

styles 5, shorter than petals.

Capsules

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

carpophore absent.

equaling to slightly longer than calyx, opening by 10 recurved teeth;

carpophore 1–2 mm.

Seeds

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

brown or sooty brown, broadly winged, round to ± angular, 1.5–2.5 mm diam. including wing.

2n

= 24.

Silene dioica

Silene uralensis

Phenology Flowering summer.
Habitat Woodlands, hedges, gardens, riverbanks, open waste places
Elevation 0-500 m (0-1600 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; CO; MT; UT; WY; AB; BC; MB; NL; NT; NU; ON; QC; YT; Canada; Greenland; nw United States including Alaska; e Asia (Russian Far East, Siberia)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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.)

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

Silene uralensis is a very variable species complex. Recently, A. Kurtto (2001) has resurrected S. wahlbergella as a species distinct from S. uralensis, differing in its shorter petals and larger capsule. It appears to be confined to Scandanavia and adjoining arctic Russia. North American reports of S. wahlbergella (and its synonym Lychnis apetala) are all referable to S. uralensis.

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

Key
1. Inflorescences usually simple, pedicels slender with single nodding (deflexed) flower (fruiting pedicels erect); seeds 1.5-2(-2.5) mm diam. (incl. broad wing).
subsp. uralensis
1. At least some of the inflorescences branched with 2 to several flowers, pedicels erect to angled but not deflexed except at tip in flower; seeds 2-2.5 mm diam
→ 2
2. Stems usually glabrous to sparsely, rarely pubescent, (15-)20-40 cm, slender; inflorescences branched with (1-)2-10 flowers; corolla only slightly exceeding calyx
subsp. ogilviensis
2. Stems densely pubescent with purple-septate hairs, 10-35 cm, stout; at least some inflorescences forked with 1-3(-4) flowers; corolla usually ca. 11/ 2 times calyx
subsp. porsildii
Source FNA vol. 5, p. 181. FNA vol. 5, p. 209.
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. 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. verecunda, S. virginica, S. viscaria, S. vulgaris, S. williamsii, S. wrightii
Subordinate taxa
S. uralensis subsp. ogilviensis, S. uralensis subsp. porsildii, S. uralensis subsp. uralensis
Synonyms Lychnis dioica, Lychnis rubra, Melandrium dioicum, Melandrium dioicum subsp. rubrum, Melandrium rubrum Gastrolychnis uralensis
Name authority (Linnaeus) Clairville: Man. Herbor. Suisse, 146. (1811) (Ruprecht) Bocquet: Candollea 22: 25. (1967)
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