The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

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

Scouler's campion, Scouler's catchfly, Scouler's siliene, simple campion

Habit Plants perennial, cespitose, with decumbent subterranean shoots; taproot stout; caudex branched, woody. Plants perennial; taproot stout; caudex branched, woody, crowns 1–several.
Stems

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

erect, simple proximal to inflorescence, slender or stout, 10–80 cm, puberulent.

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.

2 per node;

basal petiolate, blade oblanceolate, 6–25 cm × 4–30 mm, retrorsely puberulent on both surfaces;

cauline in 1–12 pairs, usually sessile, blade well developed, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, oblanceolate, or rarely linear or linear-lanceolate.

Inflorescences

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

bracts leaflike, 3–15 mm.

cymose, pseudo-racemose, or rarely paniculate, erect or nodding, with 1–12 flowering nodes, 2–20-flowered, open or dense, flowers paired or in many-flowered whorls, bracteate, cymes often sessile;

bracts 3–60 mm.

Pedicels

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

becoming deflexed at base of calyx, 1/4–2 times calyx, glandular-pubescent.

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.

shortly pedicellate or sessile;

calyx prominently 10-veined, campanulate or tubular in flower, clavate, turbinate, or fusiform in fruit, constricted or not at base around carpophore in fruit, 8–20 × 3–8 mm, veins parallel, purplish or green, with pale commissures;

lobes lanceolate, 2–5 mm, apex obtuse with broad membranous margin and tip;

corolla white, greenish white, or pink, sometimes tinged pink or purple, clawed, claw longer than calyx, limb deeply 2–4-lobed, often with smaller lateral teeth, 2.5–8 mm, appendages 1–3 mm;

stamens ± equaling corolla claw;

styles 3–4, ± equaling corolla claw.

Capsules

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

carpophore 2.5–3.5 mm.

ovoid to ellipsoid, equaling or slightly longer than calyx, opening by 6 or 8 teeth;

carpophore 1.5–6 mm.

Seeds

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

brown or grayish brown, reniform, 1–1.5 mm, margins papillate, rugose on sides.

2n

= 48.

Silene suksdorfii

Silene scouleri

Phenology Flowering summer.
Habitat Alpine ridges, gravel slopes, talus
Elevation 1600-3000 m (5200-9800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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.)

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

Silene scouleri is a very complex species that appears to be in the process of diverging into at least three different entities. Subspecies scouleri is a plant of the Pacific coast and lowlands. It has tall, stiffly erect stems, lanceolate to broadly lanceolate leaves, and a viscid inflorescence with many-flowered whorls of almost sessile flowers ranging in color from greenish white to rich pink. At the other extreme is subsp. pringlei, a plant of the mountains in Mexico extending northwards into Arizona and New Mexico. It has slender, somewhat nodding flowering stems with very narrow leaves. The flowers are usually paired at each node and secund on slender pedicels about equaling the calyx in length. The petals are off-white, sometimes tinged with dusky purple. Between the two extremes is subsp. hallii, a short, stocky plant of the Rocky Mountains and foothills with a few-flowered inflorescence. It has a larger, campanulate calyx, and some of the flowers usually become deflexed. Differentiation among these three forms is incomplete and plants indeterminate to subspecies are frequently encountered in areas away from the main distribution centers of the three subspecies. In northern Oregon and Idaho there appear to be populations connecting S. scouleri with S. oregana. They have some of the characteristics of S. oregana but not its laciniate petals. They may represent a more luxuriant form growing in taller vegetation, but their status needs further study.

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

Key
1. Calyces campanulate, not or only slightly clavate in fruit, 13-18(-20) × (5-)6-8 mm; inflorescences with (1-)3-6(-8) flowering nodes; plants 10-40cm; pedicels stout
subsp. hallii
1. Calyces tubular to narrowly clavate in flower, clavate, turbinate, or fusiform in fruit, (8-)10-16 × 3.5-7 mm; inflorescences with 3-12 flowering nodes; plants 20-80 cm; pedicels slender
→ 2
2. Inflorescences erect, flowers in dense pseudowhorls of usually sessile, (2-)5-20-flowered cymes, both sessile and pedicellate flowers in each cyme; pedicels erect
subsp. scouleri
2. Inflorescences nodding, flowers usually paired at each node, all pedicellate; pedicels ± equaling calyx, often sharply deflexed at baseof calyx
subsp. pringlei
Source FNA vol. 5, p. 209. FNA vol. 5, p. 204.
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. 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
S. scouleri subsp. hallii, S. scouleri subsp. pringlei, S. scouleri subsp. scouleri
Name authority B. L. Robinson: Bot. Gaz. 16: 44, plate 6, figs. 9–11. (1891) Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 88. (1830)
Web links