Silene suksdorfii
Silene drummondii
Cascade alpine campion, Cascade alpine catchfly, Cascade catchfly, Suksdorf's catchfly, Suksdorf's silene
Drummond's campion, Drummond's catchfly, fork catchfly
numerous, erect, simple, 3–15 cm, pubescent, viscid-glandular distally.
erect, simple or several from base, retrorsely puberulent proximally, densely so and viscid distally, with stipitate glands.
mostly basal, densely tufted;
basal numerous, pseudopetiolate, blade narrowly oblanceolate, tapering into base, 0.5–3 cm × 1.5–4 mm, ± fleshy, apex acute, puberulent;
cauline in 1–3 pairs, ± sessile, reduced, blade narrowly oblanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 0.7–2 cm × 1–3 mm, apex acute, puberulent.
blade with stiff, appressed pubescence on both surfaces;
basal petiolate, blade lanceolate to elliptic or oblanceolate, (1.5–)3–10 cm × 4–12 mm (including petiole);
cauline in 2–5 pairs, blade linear to linear-lanceolate, 3–9 cm × 2–7 mm.
flowers terminal, solitary, or in single dichotomy, bracteate;
bracts leaflike, 3–15 mm.
1–20-flowered, bracteate, strongly viscid-glandular or less densely pubescent, longer hairs sometimes purple-septate;
bracts narrowly lanceolate, thick, 3–15 mm, herbaceous, apex acuminate.
erect, ca. equaling calyx, viscid glandular-pubescent, hairs with purple septa.
stiffly erect, 0.1–5 cm, varying in length within same inflorescence.
calyx prominently 10-veined, campanulate, not contracted proximally around carpophore, 10–15 × 5–7 mm, papery, veins parallel, purplish, with pale commissures, with purple-septate glandular hairs (rarely septa not purple), lobes ovate, ca. 2 mm, margins broad, membranous, apex obtuse;
corolla off-white or tinged with dusky purple, clawed, claw equaling calyx, broadened distally, limb 2-lobed, 3–5 mm, appendages ca. 1 mm;
stamens equaling calyx;
styles 3(–4), equaling calyx.
calyx 10-veined, broadly tubular to narrowly ellipsoid, not inflated, 12–18 × 4–8 mm in fruit, 2–3 times as long as broad, membranous between veins, margins dentate with 5 triangular, 1.2–2 mm lobes erect in flower and spreading in fruit, apex acuminate, veins green;
petals off-white to dusky pink or dingy reddish purple, clawed, equaling or to 11/2 times calyx, claw broadened distally, limb not differentiated from claw, narrower than claw, 1–3 mm;
stamens included in calyx;
styles (4–)5, included in calyx.
equaling calyx, opening by 6 (or 8) teeth;
carpophore 2.5–3.5 mm.
12–15 mm, equaling calyx (rarely to 11/2 times calyx), opening by (4–)5 spreading teeth.
brown, broadly winged, reniform, 1–2 mm, rugose-tessellate.
dark brown, not winged, reniform to angular, 0.7–1 mm diam., margins finely papillate;
papillae triangular, slender, longer than broad.
= 48.
Silene suksdorfii
Silene drummondii
Silene suksdorfii appears to be closely related to S. parryi but differs in its broadly winged seeds, smaller size, cespitose habit, and the prominent purple-septate hairs of the calyx, although the latter occasionally are present in S. parryi. It is very similar to, and in Idaho appears to intergrade with, another alpine species, S. sargentii, which has linear leaves and lacks the purple septa in the hairs and the broad wing on the seeds. It is similar also to S. hitchguirei; see discussion under that species.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).
Subspecies drummondii is characteristically a prairie taxon, while subsp. striata is associated with the Rocky Mountains. However, the two taxa frequently appear to intergrade; e.g., in the Cypress Hills of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, and in the southern Rockies. Variety kruckebergii appears to be a luxuriant form with a more elongate capsule and calyx. Silene invisa, a Californian species, is similar to S. drummondii, some plants of which, from Nevada and Arizona, tend to be intermediate (see note under S. invisa).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Petals equaling calyx; fruiting calyces 12-15 × 4-6 mm, 21/ 4-3 times as long as broad; seeds ca. 0.7 mm diam.; inflorescences typically (1-)3-10(-20)-flowered | subsp. drummondii |
1. Petals 11/ 1/ 2 times calyx and clearly exserted from it; fruiting calyces 13-18 × 6-8 mm, ca. 2 times as long as broad; seeds ca. 1 mm diam.; inflorescences typically 1-4(-8)-flowered | subsp. striata |
- Local floras:
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
BC
MN Wildflowers
SW CO Wildflowers
