Silene dioica |
Silene virginica |
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red campion, red catchfly, silène dioïque |
fire pink |
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Habit | Plants perennial; taproot slender. | Plants perennial; taproot slender; caudex decumbent, branched, producing tufts of leaves and erect flowering shoots. |
Stems | ascending, decumbent at base, branched, shortly rhizomatous, to 80 cm, softly pubescent, ± glandular, at least distally, rarely subglabrous. |
simple proximal to inflorescence, 20–80 cm, glandular-pubescent, often subglabrous near base. |
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 numerous, tufted, petiolate, petiole ciliate, blade oblanceolate, 3–10 cm × 8–18 mm, base spatulate, apex acute to obtuse, glabrous on both surfaces, rarely puberulent; cauline in 2–4 pairs, broadly petiolate to sessile, reduced distally, blade oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic or lanceolate, 1–10(–30) cm × 4–16(–30) mm, margins ciliate, apex acute, shortly acuminate, glabrous. |
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. |
open, with ascending, often elongate branches, (3–)7–11(–20)-flowered, bracteate, glandular-pubescent, often densely so, viscid; bracts leaflike, lanceolate, 4–40 mm. |
Pedicels | ascending, 0.2–3 cm, usually shorter than calyx. |
erect in flower, sharply deflexed at base in fruit, 1/2–1 times length of calyx. |
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 green to purple, 10-veined, tubular to narrowly obconic in flower, 16–22 × 5–6 mm, clavate and swelling to 7–12 mm in fruit, glandular-pubescent, lobes lanceolate to oblong, 3–4 mm, margins usually narrow, membranous, apex acute or obtuse; corolla scarlet, 2 times longer than calyx, clawed, claw ciliate, gradually widening into limb, longer than calyx, limb obtriangular to oblong, deeply 2-lobed with 2 small lateral teeth, 10–14 mm, glabrous or nearly so, appendages 2, tubular, 3 mm; stamens exserted, shorter than petals; styles 3(–4), equaling stamens. |
Capsules | broadly ovoid to globose, equaling and often splitting calyx, opening by 5 (splitting into 10) revolute teeth; carpophore absent. |
ovoid, equaling calyx, opening by 3 (or 4) teeth that sometimes split into 6 (or 8); carpophore 2–3(–4) mm. |
Seeds | dark brown to black, broadly reniform, plump, 1–1.6 mm, densely and evenly papillate. |
ash gray, reniform, 1.5 mm, with large inflated papillae. |
2n | = 24. |
= 48. |
Silene dioica |
Silene virginica |
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Phenology | Flowering summer. | Flowering spring. |
Habitat | Woodlands, hedges, gardens, riverbanks, open waste places | Deciduous woodlands, bluffs, moist wooded slopes |
Elevation | 0-500 m (0-1600 ft) | 200-1300 m (700-4300 ft) |
Distribution |
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]
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AL; AR; DE; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MI; MO; MS; NC; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; VA; WV
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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 virginica is related to the scarlet-flowered species from the southwest, S. laciniata and S. subciliata. It makes a beautiful garden plant in semishaded locations. J. A. Steyermark (1963) recorded the occurrence of a hybrid between S. virginica and S. caroliniana subsp. wherryi in Shannon County, Missouri. Reports of the occurrence of S. virginica in Ontario are based on a collection (CAN, K) made in 1873 from “islands in the Detroit River” in “Canada West.” (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 181. | FNA vol. 5, p. 212. |
Parent taxa | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Caryophylloideae > Silene | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Caryophylloideae > Silene |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Lychnis dioica, Lychnis rubra, Melandrium dioicum, Melandrium dioicum subsp. rubrum, Melandrium rubrum | Melandrium virginicum, S. catesbaei, S. coccinea, S. virginica var. hallensis, S. virginica var. robusta |
Name authority | (Linnaeus) Clairville: Man. Herbor. Suisse, 146. (1811) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 419. (1753) |
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