Silene scaposa |
Silene aperta |
|
---|---|---|
Blue Mountain catchfly, Robinson's catchfly, stem campion |
bare campion, naked catchfly, Tulare campion |
|
Habit | Plants perennial, subscapose, cespitose; taproot stout; caudex branched, woody. | Plants perennial, cespitose, puberulent throughout; caudex woody, branched, with clusters of leaves. |
Stems | several, erect, simple, 15–50 cm, puberulent, viscid-glandular distally. |
several, erect, not much-branched, slender, 15–60 cm, flowering above middle. |
Leaves | mostly basal; basal marcescent, long-petiolate, densely tufted, blade 1-veined, narrowly oblanceolate, 2–10(–20) cm × 2–12(–20) mm, not fleshy, base tapering to petiole, apex acute to obtuse, finely puberulent on both surfaces; cauline in 1–3 pairs, sessile, much reduced, blade linear-lanceolate, not fleshy. |
cauline in 2–4 pairs, gradually reduced distally, blade linear with broadened base, 1–8 cm × 1–2 mm, apex acute; basal leaves tending to wither by flowering time, blade with midrib present, linear-oblanceolate, 5–12 cm × 1–4 mm, apex acute. |
Inflorescences | 1–5(–7)-flowered, with terminal flower and lateral, open, pedunculate cymes often reduced to single flowers, bracteate; bracts narrowly lanceolate, 3–10(–20) mm. |
few-flowered, bracteate, narrow, flowers terminal and axillary; bracts linear, 2–10 mm. |
Pedicels | erect, elongate, 0.5–4.5 cm, glandular-puberulent. |
ascending, straight, slender, very short in bud but equaling or exceeding flower at anthesis. |
Flowers | calyx prominently 10-veined, those to lobes lance-shaped broadened and thickened distally, commissural veins slender, not forked distally, campanulate, 10–12 × 3.5–5 mm in flower, enlarging to 15 × 10 mm in fruit, not contracted around carpophore, papery, margins dentate, glandular-pubescent, viscid, veins parallel, with pale commissures, lobes patent, ovate, 1.5–4 mm, rigid, margins broad, membranous; corolla off-white to dingy purple-red, clawed, claw exceeding calyx, ciliate proximally, broadened distally, limbs erect, 2–4-lobed, less than 1/2 length of calyx, lobes 2–5 mm, appendages 2–4, 0.5–1 mm; stamens slightly exserted; filaments lanate, expanded at base; styles 3–5, ± equaling calyx. |
calyx 10-veined, campanulate, lobed to middle or below, 6–10 mm; lobes 6, recurved, 1–3-veined, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, margins membranous, ciliate, apex acute; petals white to pale greenish, lobed, clawed, 12–20 mm including claw, ca. 2 times length of calyx; lobes 4, small, 1.5–2 mm, claw woolly towards base, appendages absent; stamens equaling petals; filaments pubescent at base; styles 3, shorter than to equaling stamens. |
Capsules | slightly longer than calyx, opening by 3–5 teeth; carpophore 1.5–2.5 mm. |
ovoid, exceeding calyx, dehiscing with 6 spreading teeth; carpophore 1–2 mm. |
Seeds | brown, reniform, 1.2–2 mm, margins with large, inflated papillae, rugose on sides. |
brown, broadly reniform, less than 1.75 mm, margins coarsely tuberculate to papillate, with concentric rings of tubercles on both faces. |
2n | = 48. |
= 48. |
Silene scaposa |
Silene aperta |
|
Phenology | Flowering early summer. | Flowering Jun–Sep. |
Habitat | Subalpine grassy, gravelly, or rocky slopes, ponderosa pine forests, juniper scrub, sagebrush | Open, grassy areas in fir and pine forests |
Elevation | 900-3000 m (3000-9800 ft) | 1800-3000 m (5900-9800 ft) |
Distribution |
CO; ID; NV; OR
|
CA |
Discussion | Silene scaposa is a very distinct species with its subscapose inflorescence, coronalike ring of short petals, and distended fruiting calyx in which the veins to the lobes are markedly broadened and lanceolate. Variation in lobing of the corolla has been the basis for recognizing two varieties: var. scaposa (var. typica C. L. Hitchcock & Maguire), which has two-lobed petals, and var. lobata, which has four-lobed petals. However, these differences appear to be of little significance. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
A deeply lobed calyx and grasslike leaves give Silene aperta a very distinct appearance. The species is found only in Tulare County. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 202. | FNA vol. 5, p. 174. |
Parent taxa | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Caryophylloideae > Silene | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Caryophylloideae > Silene |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. scaposa var. lobata | |
Name authority | B. L. Robinson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 28: 145. (1893) | Greene: Leafl. Bot. Observ. Crit. 1: 75. (1904) |
Web links |