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Cascade alpine campion, Cascade alpine catchfly, Cascade catchfly, Suksdorf's catchfly, Suksdorf's silene

King's campion, King's catchfly

Habit Plants perennial, cespitose, with decumbent subterranean shoots; taproot stout; caudex branched, woody. Plants perennial, cespitose, compact; taproot thick; caudex much-branched, fleshy.
Stems

numerous, erect, simple, 3–15 cm, pubescent, viscid-glandular distally.

erect, simple proximal to inflorescence, 7–20 cm, with 2–4 pairs of leaves, short retrorse-pubescent proximally, stipitate-glandular and viscid distally, with purple-septate hairs.

Leaves

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.

basal pseudopetiolate, tufted, blade narrowly oblanceolate, 1.5–5 cm × 1.5–5 mm, base narrowed into long pseudopetiole, retrorse-puberulent on both surfaces;

cauline sessile, connate at base, blade linear to linear-lanceolate or linear-oblanceolate, 1–4 cm × 1.5–4 mm, apex acute.

Inflorescences

flowers terminal, solitary, or in single dichotomy, bracteate;

bracts leaflike, 3–15 mm.

1(–3)-flowered.

Pedicels

erect, ca. equaling calyx, viscid glandular-pubescent, hairs with purple septa.

erect, rarely somewhat curved or reflexed near tip, 0.5–2 cm, 1/2–3 times calyx, viscid with stipitate-glandular and purple-septate hairs, hairs less than 1/2 pedicel diam.

Flowers

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.

10–12 mm diam.;

calyx prominently 10-veined, ellipsoid, somewhat inflated and contracted at mouth to 1/2–2/3 diam., 12–14 × 6–7 mm in flower, 14–17 × 7–8 mm in fruit, to 2 times as long as broad, papery, margins dentate, lobes 5, patent, ca. 2 mm, with broad, membranous margins, apex obtuse, pubescent, hairs short and stipitate-glandular and long purple-septate;

corolla pink to purple, slightly longer than calyx, limb 2-lobed, 4–5 mm, with 2 short (ca. 0.5 mm) appendages;

stamens equaling corolla;

stigmas (4–)5, equaling corolla.

Capsules

equaling calyx, opening by 6 (or 8) teeth;

carpophore 2.5–3.5 mm.

equaling calyx, opening by 5 recurved teeth, which later split into 10;

carpophore very short or absent.

Seeds

brown, broadly winged, reniform, 1–2 mm, rugose-tessellate.

dark brown, reniform, not winged, 0.7–1 mm, papillate-tuberculate.

2n

= 48.

Silene suksdorfii

Silene kingii

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Alpine ridges, gravel slopes, talus Alpine slopes, tundra, stony ridges
Elevation 1600-3000 m (5200-9800 ft) 3000-4000 m (9800-13100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; UT; WY
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Of conservation concern.

Silene kingii is very similar to and probably a close relative of S. uralensis subsp. uralensis, from which it is distinguished by its nonwinged seeds and elliptic fruiting calyx. However, some material from the southern Rocky Mountains, growing with subsp. uralensis, is intermediate between the two species in having narrowly winged seeds. The status of S. kingii requires further study.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 209. FNA vol. 5, p. 189.
Parent taxa Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Caryophylloideae > Silene Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Caryophylloideae > Silene
Sibling taxa
S. acaulis, S. antirrhina, S. aperta, S. armeria, S. bernardina, S. bridgesii, S. campanulata, S. caroliniana, S. chalcedonica, S. conica, S. coniflora, S. conoidea, S. coronaria, S. csereii, S. dichotoma, S. dioica, S. douglasii, S. drummondii, S. flos-cuculi, S. gallica, S. grayi, S. hitchguirei, S. hookeri, S. invisa, S. involucrata, S. kingii, S. laciniata, S. latifolia, S. lemmonii, S. marmorensis, S. menziesii, S. nachlingerae, S. nivea, S. noctiflora, S. nuda, S. occidentalis, S. oregana, S. ostenfeldii, S. ovata, S. parishii, S. parryi, S. pendula, S. petersonii, S. plankii, S. polypetala, S. pseudatocion, S. rectiramea, S. regia, S. repens, S. rotundifolia, S. sargentii, S. scaposa, S. scouleri, S. seelyi, S. serpentinicola, S. sibirica, S. sorensenis, S. spaldingii, S. stellata, S. subciliata, S. suecica, S. thurberi, S. uralensis, S. verecunda, S. virginica, S. viscaria, S. vulgaris, S. williamsii, S. wrightii
S. acaulis, S. antirrhina, S. aperta, S. armeria, S. bernardina, S. bridgesii, S. campanulata, S. caroliniana, S. chalcedonica, S. conica, S. coniflora, S. conoidea, S. coronaria, S. csereii, S. dichotoma, S. dioica, S. douglasii, S. drummondii, S. flos-cuculi, S. gallica, S. grayi, S. hitchguirei, S. hookeri, S. invisa, S. involucrata, S. laciniata, S. latifolia, S. lemmonii, S. marmorensis, S. menziesii, S. nachlingerae, S. nivea, S. noctiflora, S. nuda, S. occidentalis, S. oregana, S. ostenfeldii, S. ovata, S. parishii, S. parryi, S. pendula, S. petersonii, S. plankii, S. polypetala, S. pseudatocion, S. rectiramea, S. regia, S. repens, S. rotundifolia, S. sargentii, S. scaposa, S. scouleri, S. seelyi, S. serpentinicola, S. sibirica, S. sorensenis, S. spaldingii, S. stellata, S. subciliata, S. suecica, S. suksdorfii, S. thurberi, S. uralensis, S. verecunda, S. virginica, S. viscaria, S. vulgaris, S. williamsii, S. wrightii
Synonyms Lychnis kingii, Gastrolychnis kingii, Lychnis apetala var. kingii, Melandrium kingii, Wahlbergella kingii
Name authority B. L. Robinson: Bot. Gaz. 16: 44, plate 6, figs. 9–11. (1891) (S. Watson) Bocquet: Candollea 22: 29. (1967)
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