Silene noctiflora |
Silene csereii |
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night-flowering campion, night-flowering catchfly, nightflowering silene, silène noctiflore, sticky cockle |
Balkan campion, Balkan catchfly, biennial campion, silène bisannuel |
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Habit | Plants annual, densely pubescent throughout, viscid-glandular, especially distally; taproot slender. | Plants annual or biennial, glabrous and somewhat glaucous; tap-root stout. |
Stems | erect, simple proximal to inflorescence or with few basal branches, branched distally, to 75 cm. |
erect, sparingly branched below inflorescence, robust, to 65 cm. |
Leaves | 2 per node, gradually reduced distally; basal blades oblanceolate, 6–12(–14) cm × 20–45 mm; cauline blades ascending, conspicuously veined, broadly elliptic to lanceolate, 1–11 cm × 3–40 mm, apex acute, shortly acuminate, densely pubescent on both surfaces. |
basal few, usually withering by time of anthesis, blade spatulate; cauline numerous, 2 per node, blade 1-veined, ovate-lanceolate to oblanceolate, 3–7 cm × 7–30 mm, margins entire, apex acute. |
Inflorescences | cymose, 3–15-flowered, bracteate; cyme open, flowers held on ascending branches; bracts leaflike, narrowly lanceolate, 1–5 cm, apex acuminate. |
many-flowered, open, bracteate; primary branches racemose, elongate, with sessile or shortly pedunculate cymes of 1–6 flowers per node; bracts narrowly lanceolate, 3–12 mm, hyaline-margined, apex acute. |
Pedicels | ascending, straight, 1/3–3 times longer than calyx. |
ascending, ± straight, 1–2 times calyx, broadening at calyx base. |
Flowers | nocturnal, 20–25 mm diam.; calyx prominently 10-veined, ovate-elliptic, fusiform, narrowed to both ends and constricted around carpophore, 15–24(–40) × ca. 3 mm in flower, swelling to 10 mm diam. in fruit, thin and papery, margins dentate, with pale commissures; lobes erect, often recurved in fruit, linear-lanceolate, long, narrow, (3–)5–10(–15) mm, apex acuminate, short-pubescent, glandular, interspersed with long eglandular hairs, veins anastomosing; corolla white, often pink tinged, clawed, claw equaling calyx lobes, limb deeply 2-lobed, lobes usually narrow, appendages 0.5–1.5 mm broad, margins entire or erose; stamens shorter than petals; styles 3, shorter than petals. |
calyx often obscurely ca. 20-veined, elliptic, abruptly contracted at base, opening constricted to 1/2 its diam., slightly inflated in flower, 7–10 × 3–4 mm, in fruit tightly enveloping capsule, ovoid, thin, enlarging to 9–13 × 5–7 mm, herbaceous, margins narrow, membranous, dentate with broadly triangular lobes to 1 mm, glabrous, veins obscure, usually purple tinged, without conspicuous, pale commissures, longitudinal, parallel, not obviously reticulate; petals white, clawed, claw equaling calyx, limb deeply 2-fid into 2 spatulate lobes, to 5 mm, appendages ca. 0.5 mm; stamens exserted, to 2 times length of calyx; filaments usually dark purple; stigmas 3, exserted, to 2 times length of calyx. |
Capsules | ovoid, constricted at mouth, equaling or slightly longer than calyx tube, opening by 6 recurved teeth; carpophore 1–3 mm. |
ovoid, equaling calyx and sometimes splitting it, opening by 6 recurved, narrowly lanceolate teeth; carpophore ca. 1 mm. |
Seeds | dark brown to black, with gray bloom, broadly reniform, 0.8–1 mm, strongly tuberculate. |
grayish brown, plump, broadly reniform, 0.6–1 mm, with concentric rings of papillae; papillae slightly longer than broad. |
2n | = 24. |
= 24. |
Silene noctiflora |
Silene csereii |
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Phenology | Flowering summer. | Flowering summer. |
Habitat | Arable land, disturbed ground | Cultivated fields, roadsides, waste land |
Elevation | 0-3000 m (0-9800 ft) | 0-1600 m (0-5200 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; AL; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; IA; ID; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SD; TN; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Europe [Introduced in North America]
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CO; CT; IA; ID; IL; IN; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; ND; NH; NY; OH; PA; SD; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; ON; QC; SK; Europe [Introduced in North America]
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Discussion | Silene noctiflora is sometimes confused with S. latifolia, but they are very different species. Silene noctiflora differs in having perfect flowers with long, very narrow calyx teeth and an elliptic, fruiting calyx that is narrow at the mouth and constricted around the capsule base. It also has three styles and a capsule that dehisces by six teeth; S. latifolia has (four or) five styles and a capsule that dehisces by five bifid teeth. The flowers of S. noctiflora, as its name indicates, are nocturnal and moth-pollinated. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Often confused with Silene vulgaris, S. csereii may be readily separated by the long, racemose primary branches of its inflorescence, the elliptic calyx that is constricted at both ends, tightly enclosing the capsule and lacking obvious reticulate venation, and the purple filaments. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 194. | FNA vol. 5, p. 180. |
Parent taxa | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Caryophylloideae > Silene | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Caryophylloideae > Silene |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Melandrium noctiflorum | |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 419. (1753) | Baumgarten: Enum. Stirp. Transsilv. 3: 345. (1816) |
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