Silene petersonii |
Silene ostenfeldii |
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Peterson's campion or catchfly, plateau catchfly |
taimyr campion, taimyr catchfly |
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Habit | Plants perennial, rhizomatous; caudex thick, with many rhizomatous, creeping, branched, slender subterranean shoots, terminating in tight tufts of leaves and erect flowering stems. | Plants perennial, densely cespitose; taproot stout, fleshy; caudex tightly branched. |
Stems | simple, 5–15 cm, pubescent and viscid, with stipitate glands. |
1–many, erect, simple, slender, 10–30 cm, glandular-pubescent. |
Leaves | basal with blade 1-veined, oblanceolate, broadly spatulate, 1–4 cm × 2–8 mm, apex obtuse to acute, glandular-puberulent throughout, rarely subglabrous adaxially; cauline in 3–6 pairs, sessile, reduced distally, blade lanceolate, narrowly elliptic, or oblanceolate, 2–4 cm × 2–8 mm, apex ± acute, glandular-puberulent throughout. |
connate basally, blade ciliate at base, pubescent on both surfaces; basal numerous, ± petiolate, blade linear-oblanceolate, 1–5 cm × 1–5 mm, somewhat fleshy, apex ± acute; cauline in 1–3 pairs, sessile, blade linear to linear-lanceolate, 1–4 cm × 1–3 mm, apex ± acute. |
Inflorescences | usually with solitary terminal flower, sometimes cymose, to 8-flowered, open. |
cymose, terminal, (1–)3-flowered, rarely with 1–2 flowers at proximal nodes, bracteate, bracteolate; bracts and bracteoles leaflike, 2–10 mm. |
Pedicels | erect or angled near tip with flowers slightly nodding, 1–3 times longer than calyx, glandular-puberulent, often densely so. |
usually shorter than calyx, rarely much longer, densely pubescent with purple-septate glandular hairs but not viscid. |
Flowers | calyx prominently 10-veined, campanulate, not contracted proximally around carpophore, 15–20 × 4–8 mm, papery, margins dentate, veins parallel, usually purple tinged, with pale commissures; lobes ovate, 3–5 mm, glandular-puberulent, midrib triangular, margins purple tinged, broad, membranous, apex obtuse; corolla bright pink, clawed, claw equaling calyx, broad and ligulate but abruptly contracted into limb, limb broadly cuneate, shallowly to deeply 2–4-lobed, 5–15 mm, lobes broad or narrow, appendages absent or to 2 mm, margins erose; stamens slightly longer than corolla claw; stigmas 3(–5), slightly longer than corolla claw. |
calyx prominently 10-veined, elliptic to campanulate, not inflated, not or slightly contracted at mouth, 8–9 × 3–5 mm in flower, 10–12 × 5–6 mm in fruit, to 2 times as long as broad, papery, veins green or purple, densely pubescent, with purple-septate hairs, lobes spreading, lanceolate-triangular, ca. 2 mm, margins purple tinged, round, broad, membranous; corolla white to pink, clawed, ca. 11/4 times longer than calyx, claw equaling calyx, limb not differentiated from claw, obovate, emarginate to 2-lobed, shorter than calyx, appendages 2, ca. 1 mm; stamens equaling petals; styles 5, equaling petals. |
Capsules | equaling calyx, opening by 6 (or 8 or 10) lanceolate teeth; carpophore 1–2.5 mm. |
ovoid-ellipsoid, slightly longer than calyx, opening by 5 recurved teeth; carpophore shorter than 1 mm. |
Seeds | brown, broadly reniform, flattened, 2–2.5 mm, rugose, more coarsely so on margins. |
brown, not winged, reniform, angular, less than 1 mm broad, finely papillate. |
2n | = 96. |
= 24, 48, 72. |
Silene petersonii |
Silene ostenfeldii |
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Phenology | Flowering summer. | Flowering early summer. |
Habitat | Calcareous gravel, clay, talus, and rocks on ridges, slopes, and barren ground | Gravelly tundra, rocky ledges, talus, river outwash, grassy areas |
Elevation | 2000-3400 m (6600-11200 ft) | 0-1800 m (0-5900 ft) |
Distribution |
NV; UT
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AK; BC; NT; NU; YT; e Asia (Russian Far East) |
Discussion | Of conservation concern. This beautiful alpine species is variable with respect to density of pubescence, flower size, and petal structure. As this variation occurs both within and among populations, little useful purpose is served by giving names to it. The Nevada population, which is the basis for the name Silene clokeyi, is interfertile (A. R. Kruckeberg 1961) with populations in Utah (the basis for the name S. petersonii). Accordingly, a single species is recognized here without infraspecific taxa. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Silene ostenfeldii, an amphi-Beringian species, is very similar to S. involucrata subsp. tenella. However, it lacks the wing on the seeds, and its mature calyx tends to be more elliptic than campanulate. It may be confused also with S. sorensenis, but that species has larger seeds and calyces and is a sturdier plant with a denser, longer, somewhat woolly pubescence. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 198. | FNA vol. 5, p. 196. |
Parent taxa | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Caryophylloideae > Silene | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Caryophylloideae > Silene |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. clokeyi, S. petersonii var. minor | Melandrium ostenfeldii, Gastrolychnis ostenfeldii, Gastrolychnis taimyrensis, Gastrolychnis triflora subsp. dawsonii, Lychnis dawsonii, Lychnis ostenfeldii, Lychnis taimyrense, Lychnis triflora subsp. dawsonii, Lychnis triflora var. dawsonii, Melandrium dawsonii |
Name authority | Maguire: Madroño 6: 24. (1941) | (A. E. Porsild) J. K. Morton: Sida 21: 888. (2004) |
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