Silene suksdorfii |
Silene regia |
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Cascade alpine campion, Cascade alpine catchfly, Cascade catchfly, Suksdorf's catchfly, Suksdorf's silene |
royal catchfly |
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Habit | Plants perennial, cespitose, with decumbent subterranean shoots; taproot stout; caudex branched, woody. | Plants perennial; taproot stout, fleshy. |
Stems | numerous, erect, simple, 3–15 cm, pubescent, viscid-glandular distally. |
several, erect, simple proximal to inflorescence, 50–160 cm, glabrous to sparsely retrorse-puberulent proximally, more densely so and glandular distally. |
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. |
withered towards base at anthesis, in 10–20 pairs, sessile, gradually reduced distally; blade 3-veined, lanceolate to ovate, rounded into base, 4–12 cm × 20–50 mm, apex acute, not acuminate, glabrous to scabrous-puberulent adaxially, scabrous-puberulent abaxially. |
Inflorescences | flowers terminal, solitary, or in single dichotomy, bracteate; bracts leaflike, 3–15 mm. |
terminal, cymose, compound, many-flowered, bracteate, pedunculate, 15–25(–30) × 5–10 cm; bracts lanceolate, 3–30 mm; peduncle ascending. |
Pedicels | erect, ca. equaling calyx, viscid glandular-pubescent, hairs with purple septa. |
1–4 times longer than calyx, stipitate-glandular, puberulent. |
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. |
calyx prominently 10-veined, tubular in flower, 18–25 × 3–4 mm, swelling in middle to 6–9 mm in fruit, umbilicate, constricted near base around carpophore, glandular-pubescent, especially on veins, veins green, lobes 2–4 mm, midrib lanceolate, margins often red tinged, broad, membranous; corolla scarlet, clawed, claw equaling calyx, limb oblong to elliptic, unlobed, rarely emarginate or shallowly 2-lobed, 10–20 × 5–6 mm, apex rounded, appendages 2, tubular, 2–4 mm; stamens exserted; styles 3(–5), exserted. |
Capsules | equaling calyx, opening by 6 (or 8) teeth; carpophore 2.5–3.5 mm. |
ovoid-ellipsoid, narrowed at both ends, equaling calyx, opening by 6 (or 8 or 10) ascending teeth; carpophore 3–5 mm. |
Seeds | brown, broadly winged, reniform, 1–2 mm, rugose-tessellate. |
dark reddish brown, reniform, 1.5–2 mm, with smooth and glossy, flat or concave sides, margins angled, shallowly rugose. |
2n | = 48. |
= 48. |
Silene suksdorfii |
Silene regia |
|
Phenology | Flowering summer. | Flowering summer–fall. |
Habitat | Alpine ridges, gravel slopes, talus | Dry prairies, rocky open woods, woodland edges and thickets |
Elevation | 1600-3000 m (5200-9800 ft) | 100-400 m (300-1300 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; OR; WA
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AL; AR; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; MO; OH; TN
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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.) |
Silene regia is a very distinct, spectacular species with tall stems, a narrow, many-flowered inflorescence, and bright red petals. It is probably related to S. laciniata via S. subciliata. Silene regia is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 209. | FNA vol. 5, p. 200. |
Parent taxa | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Caryophylloideae > Silene | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Caryophylloideae > Silene |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Melandrium illinoense, Melandrium reginum | |
Name authority | B. L. Robinson: Bot. Gaz. 16: 44, plate 6, figs. 9–11. (1891) | Sims: Bot. Mag. 41: plate 1724. (1815) |
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