Silene stellata |
Silene nuda |
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starry campion, widow's frill |
barestem campion, naked campion, sticky catchfly, western fringe catchfly |
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Habit | Plants perennial; taproot thick; caudex branched. | Plants perennial; taproot thick; caudex erect, branched, thick and woody, producing tufts of leaves. |
Stems | several, simple proximal to inflorescence, 30–80 cm, puberulent, becoming subglabrous near base. |
erect, branched distally, with 2–4 pairs of reduced leaves, 15–50 cm; flowering shoots usually subscapose, coarsely pubescent with hairs colorless, septate, and long, viscid-glandular, especially distally. |
Leaves | 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. |
mostly basal; basal long-petiolate, blade oblanceolate to elliptic, 6–15 cm × 10–30 mm, narrowed to base, not fleshy; cauline few, sessile, reduced distally, blade lanceolate, 0.8–4 cm × 3–8 mm, not fleshy. |
Inflorescences | paniculate, open, bracteate, bracteolate, branches elongate, puberulent; bracts and bracteoles linear-lanceolate, 2–15 mm. |
thyrsate, subscapose, rarely simple, (3–)5–12(rarely more)-flowered, open, bracteate, bracteolate, densely pubescent, glandular, viscid; alternate branches often suppressed or developing unevenly; proximal nodes often with single flower; bracts and bracteoles resembling stem leaves but much reduced. |
Pedicels | straight, often with 1 or 2 pairs of bracteoles, slender, 1/2–3 times calyx, glabrous or scabrous-puberulous. |
1/4–2 times length of calyx. |
Flowers | 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. |
calyx prominently 10-veined, veins parallel, those of lobes broadened distally, tubular in flower, 10–13 × 2.5–4 mm, campanulate-ovate in fruit, broadest near middle and contracted towards mouth, not contracted proximally, 12–18 × 5–8 mm, with pale commissures, lobes 5, erect, narrowly lanceolate, 4–6 mm, margins narrow, membranous proximally, apex blunt, with glandular hairs; petals 11/2–2 times longer than calyx tube; corolla pink, clawed, claw equaling calyx tube, limb obovate, deeply 2-lobed, 5–10 mm, appendages 2, linear, ca. 1.5 mm; stamens exserted, shorter than petals; styles 3–5, included in calyx, ± equaling calyx or corolla. |
Capsules | globose, opening by 3 broadly triangular teeth; carpophore 2–3 mm. |
conic to ellipsoid, equaling calyx lobes, opening by 6–10 recurved teeth; carpophore 1–2 mm. |
Seeds | dark brown, reniform, ca. 1 mm, papillate. |
dark brown, reniform, 1–1.5 mm, prominently papillate; papillae larger around margins. |
2n | = (34), 48. |
= 48. |
Silene stellata |
Silene nuda |
|
Phenology | Flowering summer. | Flowering summer. |
Habitat | Rich deciduous woods, river flats, tall-grass prairies | Scrubby grasslands and openings in woodland and coniferous forests |
Elevation | 0-1300 m (0-4300 ft) | 1100-2300 m (3600-7500 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV
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CA; NV; OR
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Discussion | 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.) |
Silene nuda may be confused with the other scapose species, S. scaposa, but S. nuda has larger, more conspicuous petals that are one and one-half to two times as long as the calyx tube. It is found in the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascades. The Nevada populations tend to grow in drier situations and on saline flats. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 207. | FNA vol. 5, p. 195. |
Parent taxa | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Caryophylloideae > Silene | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Caryophylloideae > Silene |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Cucubalus stellatus, S. scabrella, S. stellata var. scabrella | Lychnis nuda, S. insectivora, S. nuda subsp. insectivora, S. pectinata, S. pectinata var. subnuda |
Name authority | (Linnaeus) W. T. Aiton: in W. Aiton and W. T. Aiton, Hortus Kew. 3: 84. (1811) | (S. Watson) C. L. Hitchcock & Maguire: Revis. N. Amer. Silene, 45. (1947) |
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