Silene suksdorfii
Silene rectiramea
Cascade alpine campion, Cascade alpine catchfly, Cascade catchfly, Suksdorf's catchfly, Suksdorf's silene
Grand Canyon campion
numerous, erect, simple, 3–15 cm, pubescent, viscid-glandular distally.
several, erect from decumbent base, branched, 20–40 cm, sparsely scabrid-puberulent, stipitate-glandular distally.
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.
2 per node;
basal shortly petiolate, blade oblanceolate, apex acute, sparsely puberulent;
cauline sessile, in 3–6 pairs, blade lanceolate to narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, 3–8 cm × 3–8 mm, apex acute, scabrid-puberulent.
flowers terminal, solitary, or in single dichotomy, bracteate;
bracts leaflike, 3–15 mm.
cymose, open, branches few, ascending, elongate, 5–10 cm, flowers 1–3 per branch, bracteate;
bracts lanceolate, 3–5 mm, apex acute.
erect, ca. equaling calyx, viscid glandular-pubescent, hairs with purple septa.
usually shorter than or to 11/2 times calyx, scabrous-puberulent, ± viscid.
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.
bisexual and unisexual, all flowers having bisexual flowers and staminate unisexual flowers, 6–8 mm diam.;
calyx prominently 10-veined, narrowly campanulate in flower, campanulate in fruit, 7–10(–11) × 4–6 mm, only slightly contracted around carpophore, papery and membranous, sparsely scabrid with short glandular-setose hairs, veins parallel, green, with pale commissures, margins dentate, lobes broadly ovate (as broad as long), 1–2 mm, not ciliate;
corolla cream or white, tinged purple, claw slightly exceeding calyx, narrowly triangular, auriculate, puberulent at base, limb oblong, 2-lobed, 2–4 mm, lobes entire, appendages 0.1–0.5 mm and broad, entire;
stamens equaling petals;
styles 3, equaling petals, reduced in functionally staminate flowers.
equaling calyx, opening by 6 (or 8) teeth;
carpophore 2.5–3.5 mm.
ovoid-ellipsoid, equaling calyx, opening by 6 spreading teeth;
carpophore ca. 2 mm.
brown, broadly winged, reniform, 1–2 mm, rugose-tessellate.
brown, reniform-triangular, ca. 1 mm; papillate mainly around margin.
= 48.
Silene suksdorfii
Silene rectiramea
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 rectiramea is found in the Grand Canyon in Arizona. It is very similar to forms of S. verecunda and to S. thurberi. It is distinguished by its smaller flowers and fruiting calyces that are not or only slightly constricted around the carpophore and tend to be more sparsely pubescent with broader, shorter lobes. Also the appendages smaller and entire.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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