Silene ovata
Silene serpentinicola
Blue Ridge catchfly, ovate-leaf campion or catchfly, ovate-leaf catchfly
serpentine catchfly, serpentine Indian pink
erect, usually simple, 30–150 cm, with short, dense, eglandular pubescence, sparsely so toward base.
4–10(–15) cm, softly pubescent.
sessile, 2 per node;
blade prominently 3–5-veined, ovate-acuminate, round at base, (4–)6–10(–13) cm × (20–)30–50(–90) mm, appressed-pubescent on both surfaces.
cauline in 4–8 pairs, crowded;
blade gray-green, oblanceolate to obovate, spatulate, 2.5–4.5 cm × 5–15 mm, longest near middle of stem, sparsely pubescent on both surfaces, reduced and bractlike on subterranean base.
paniculate, narrow, many-flowered, open, bracteate, pedunculate, 10–50 × 3–5 cm, densely puberulent;
bracts narrowly lanceolate, 3–15 mm, apex acuminate;
peduncle ascending.
terminal, 1–3(–4)-flowered cymes, densely glandular-pubescent;
bracts leaflike, (0.5–)0.7–1.1 cm.
ascending, recurved near apex, ca. equaling calyx.
ascending and straight, (5–)7–10 mm, glandular-pubescent.
nocturnal;
calyx prominently 10-veined, tubular to narrowly campanulate and 6–9 × 3–4 mm in flower, turbinate and 10–12 × 4–5 mm in fruit, narrowed proximally around carpophore, veins parallel, green, broad, with pale commissures, puberulent, sometimes with few glands, lobes triangular-acute, 2–3 mm;
corolla white, clawed, claw equaling calyx, broadened into limb, limb obtriangular, deeply lobed, 7–9 mm, lobes ca. 8, linear, appendages minute;
stamens slightly longer than corolla;
styles 3, ca. 2 times as long as corolla.
ca. 30 mm diam.;
calyx purple tinged, distinctly 10-veined, tubular, inflated and expanding in fruit, 13–17 mm, densely glandular-pubescent, lobes lanceolate;
corolla scarlet, clawed, limb carmine red, turning purple on drying, ± equally deeply 2-lobed, each lobe with lateral tooth, ca. 11 mm, glabrous, claw narrowly obtriangular, equaling calyx, appendages 2, prominent, petaloid, linear, truncate, 2.5–4.5 mm;
stamens long-exserted;
stigmas 3, long-exserted.
narrowly ovoid, slightly longer than calyx, opening by 3 (splitting into 6) ascending teeth;
carpophore 2–2.5 mm.
ovoid to oblong, equaling calyx, (8–)12–15 mm;
carpophore 0.5–1 mm.
dark brown, reniform, 0.8–1.5 mm, shallowly tuberculate.
dark brown, reniform, 1.8–2 mm diam., strongly papillate.
= 48.
= 72.
Silene ovata
Silene serpentinicola
Of conservation concern.
Silene ovata is a very distinctive species with large, ovate, acuminate, sessile, paired leaves, and very narrowly lobed white petals. The flowers open at night and are moth-pollinated.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Of conservation concern.
Silene serpentinicola is a recently described endemic of the serpentines of the Smith River basin of northwestern Del Norte County and probably occurs on the same rock system across the border in Oregon. It differs from S. hookeri in flower color, and from both S. hookeri and S. laciniata subsp. californica in its erect, more or less solitary flowering stems and large, clearly visible petaloid appendages in the flowers.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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