Silene stellata
Silene latifolia
starry campion, widow's frill
bladder campion, evening catchfly, silène blanc, white campion, white campion or cockle, white cockle
several, simple proximal to inflorescence, 30–80 cm, puberulent, becoming subglabrous near base.
erect or decumbent at base, branched, to 100 cm, finely hirsute, glandular-puberulent distally.
withering proximally, in whorls of 4, ± sessile to short-petiolate, largest in mid-stem region;
blade lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 3–10 cm × 4–40 mm, apex acuminate, puberulent on both surfaces, sparsely so adaxially.
blade hirsute on both surfaces;
basal usually withering by flowering time, petiolate, blade oblong-lanceolate to elliptic;
cauline sessile, reduced into inflorescence, blade lanceolate to elliptic, 3–12 cm × 6–30 mm, apex acute.
paniculate, open, bracteate, bracteolate, branches elongate, puberulent;
bracts and bracteoles linear-lanceolate, 2–15 mm.
several–many-flowered (fewer in pistillate plants), open, dichasial cymes, bracteate;
bracts much reduced, lanceolate, herbaceous.
straight, often with 1 or 2 pairs of bracteoles, slender, 1/2–3 times calyx, glabrous or scabrous-puberulous.
1–5 cm.
calyx obscurely 10-veined, broadly campanulate, becoming obtriangular in fruit, 7–11 × 6–10 mm, herbaceous, margins dentate, very narrow, membranous, sparsely puberulent, lobes broadly triangular, 2–3 mm;
corolla white, ca. 2 times longer than calyx, limb obtriangular, narrowed into claw, divided ca. 1/2 its length into 4–12 lobes, appendages absent;
stamens equaling petals;
styles 3, longer than petals.
unisexual, some plants having only staminate flowers, others having only pistillate flowers, fragrant, 25–35 mm diam.; in veined staminate plants subsessile to short-pedicellate, in pistillate plants pedicellate;
calyx prominently 10-veined in staminate flowers, 20-veined in pistillate, tubular, becoming ovate in pistillate flowers, 10–20(–24) × 8–15 mm in fruit, margins dentate, hirsute and shortly glandular-pubescent, lobes to 6 mm, broadly ovate with apex obtuse, to lanceolate with apex acuminate;
petals white, broadly obovate, ca. 2 times calyx, limb spreading, unlobed to 2-lobed;
stamens equaling to slightly longer than calyx;
stigmas (4–)5, slightly longer than calyx.
globose, opening by 3 broadly triangular teeth;
carpophore 2–3 mm.
ovate, ca. equaling calyx, opening by (4–)5, spreading to slightly reflexed, 2-fid teeth;
carpophore 1–2 mm.
dark brown, reniform, ca. 1 mm, papillate.
dark gray-brown, reniform-rotund, plump, ca. 1.5 mm, coarsely tuberculate.
= (34), 48.
= 24.
Silene stellata
Silene latifolia
Silene stellata is a very distinct species with its broadly lanceolate leaves in groups of four at each node, and its brilliant white, multilobed petals. Two varieties are recognized by some workers: var. stellata, with glabrous pedicels; and var. scabrella, with scabrous pedicels. The former tends to have longer, more slender pedicels and be more common towards the northeast, whereas the latter tends to be more western. The correlation of characters and distribution is poor, however, and intermediate plants are often encountered.
Silene stellata was collected near the Grand River, Cambridge, Ontario, in 1941, but was probably introduced there and has not been seen since.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
European botanists recognize several subspecies of Silene latifolia, at least two of which appear to occur in North America: subsp. latifolia [S. alba subsp. divaricata (Reichenbach) Walters], a commonly occurring form here, with acuminate calyx teeth and patent to recurved capsule teeth; and subsp. alba (Miller) Greuter & Burdet, less common in North America, with short, obtuse calyx teeth and erect teeth in the dehisced capsule. However, most of our material tends to be intermediate, making recognition of subspecies here of little value. Presumably there has been extensive gene exchange between populations of this outbreeding species since its introduction into North America.
The name Silene latifolia has been misapplied to S. vulgaris by some authors, which has been a cause of confusion.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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