Flora of Oregon

Plants annual, biennial or perennial.

Stems decumbent or ascending to erect.

Leaves opposite, usually linear to oblanceolate, sometimes to elliptic or broadly ovate; petioles present (some basal leaves) or 0 (cauline leaves); stipules 0.

Inflorescences terminal or axillary, open cymes or rarely flowers solitary; bracts present.

Flowers bisexual, rarely unisexual (plants dioecious); sepals 5, fused, tubular to campanulate, hairy or glabrous, tubes prominent, green, whitish, and/or purplish, glabrous to pubescent, (8)10- or 20–30-veined, commissures between adjacent sepals 1-veined, green or often pale, <tube; petals (0)5, white, yellowish white, greenish white, pink, bright pink, lavender, or purplish, rarely bright red; appendages (0)2(6); limbs entire, emarginate, notched or usually 2, 4(6+)-lobed; stamens 10, borne at ovary base, staminodes 0; styles and stigmas 3(4–5).

Fruits capsules, opening by (3–5)6(8–10) ascending or recurved teeth; capsule stalks 0.5–4(6) mm, rarely absent.

Seeds 15–100+, reniform to globose, 0.5–3 mm, gray, yellowish brown, brown, or black, tuberculate or papillate.

Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America. ~700 species; 25 species treated in Flora.

In addition to the species described below, Silene dichotoma ssp. dichotoma (forked catchfly) was collected in 1906 near Portland, likely on ballast. It is most similar to Silene gallica, but has a larger (5–12 mm) bilobed petal limb. Although listed as occurring in Oregon in Flora of North America (Morton 2005), we have not located a specimen of S. pendula or S. verecunda to confirm these reports. Silene pendula is an annual plant with a ten-veined calyx and showy bright pink flowers and may rarely escape from cultivation. Silene verecunda is a perennial with a ten-veined calyx that is distinctly narrowed at the base in fruit and greenish white to pink two-lobed petals. The petal limbs in Silene species are often divided into a varying number (and size) of lobes. In species where the lobes are often of two different sizes (e.g., S. hookeri, S. parryi), they can be either described as having four lobes, with the outer being smaller than the inner, or as having two lobes, each with a lateral tooth; the first definition is being followed in this treatment, except in S. douglasii var. oraria where the lateral “tooth” is far smaller than the lobes and should not mistaken for an additional lobe.

Flora of North America

as described under Silene