Silene

Plant Characteristics

Lifespan:	⌛	perennial, annual

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Caryophyllaceae >

Silene >

Silene is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. Common names include campion (shared with the related genus Lychnis) and catchfly.

Red Campion (S. dioica) and White Campion (S. latifolia) are common wildflowers throughout Europe and elsewhere. They readily hybridise to produce plants with paler pink flowers. The Moss campion is common in the high Arctic.

Read about Silene in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Lychnis (from the Greek word for lamp, in allusion to the flame-colored fls. of some species). Including Agrostemma and Viscaria. Caryophyllaceae. Interesting flower-garden herbs. The technical generic characters are so variable as to allow the genus to be thrown into Silene or to be broken up into 7 or 8 distinct genera (for the latter, see Williams, Journ. Bot. 31:167; Journ. Linn. Soc. 32:11), according to the point of view of the particular author. They are mostly erect-growing, and the lvs. are opposite and entire. The caps, usually has but one locule or compartment, and the seeds are borne on a central or axile placenta (Fig. 2220). The styles are usually 5 or rarely 4, in this differing from Silene (in which the styles are 3), and the calyx-teeth are commonly 5. In some species, the styles are 3 and the caps, is more than 1-loculed at base, but in these cases the habit of the plant and minor technical characters enable one to refer them to Lychnis rather than to Silene. The stamens are 10; and the petals 5 and usually with a 2-cleft scale or a pair of teeth at the base of the blade. —As defined above, the genus contains 40-50 species, annuals, biennials, and perennials, of the temperate parts of the northern hemisphere. Agrostemma and Viscaria might be separated, although the distinctions are not very marked. Agrostemma has the 5 stamens opposite the petals and the petals are not appendaged; Lychnis would then be distinguished as having the stamens alternate with the petals, and the latter are often or usually appendaged so as to form a crown in the corolla. If Lychnis is restricted to those species in which the caps, is 1-celled to the base, then Viscaria may be distinguished for certain species that are several-celled at the base (see Viscaria). For horticultural purposes these distinctions are not important. Petrocoptis is here kept distinct. In the following synopsis of the garden kinds, little attempt is made to follow technical botanical divisions. Some of the species of Lychnis are amongst the best known of old-fashioned flowers, as the mullein pink, Maltese cross and ragged robin. These are essentially flower-garden subjects, and of simple cultural requirements. Others, as L. alpina, are better known as border or rockwork plants (see also Petrocoptis). All species are easily grown from seeds, the biennials and perennials blooming the second year. The perennials are often propagated by division. All of them apparently thrive in the sun. L. Arkwrightii, Hort. Garden hybrid between L. chalcedonica and L. Haageana. Shades of scarlet.—L. Lagascae, Hook. f.-Petrocoptis.—L. pyrenaica, Berger - Petrocoptis. —L. Sartori, Hort. Said somewhat to resemble L. dioica but has narrower and more lanceolate lvs. and the calyx is more elongated, the fls being similar color of purple and ½ in. across: about 9-12 in. high. China (?).—L. sibirica. Linn. Perennial, from Siberia, apparently not in commerce: cespitose: lvs. linear, somewhat hairy: fls. long-peduncled; calyx campanulutc-globose, the lobes very short and obtuse; petals 2-lobed.—L. striata, Hort., offered abroad, "deep scarlet with distinct white stripes," is probably not L. striata, Rydb., of W. U. S.; the latter is a perennial with exserted white or purplish 2-cleft petals and strongly 10-nerved calyx, growing at an altitude of 6,000-10,000 ft. in Colo., Wyo., Utah. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Read about Silene in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Silene (Greek name of one of Bacchus' companions described as covered with foam, also connected with sialon, saliva; referring to the stickiness of the stem and calyx of some species). Including Heliosperma and Melandrium in part. Caryophyllaceae. Catchfly. Campion. Erect, cespitose, decumbent or diffusely climbing annual, biennial, or perennial herbs, some of them tender and grown in the greenhouse, others hardy and planted outdoors for their ornamental effect; often excellent plants for the rock-garden. Leaves opposite, entire: fls. solitary or variously cymose, white, through pink to rose and purple; calyx 5-toothed, 10- to many-nerved, naked at the base; petals mostly crowned with a scale at the base of the blade; stamens 10; styles 3, rarely 4: pod 1-celled, sometimes 3-celled.—Over 400 species described, widely scattered over the world. There is a monograph of Silene, with a key, in the Journal of the Linnaean Society, vol. 32 (1896), by F. N. Williams, with 390 good species. Williams refers the common S. virginica and S. pennsylvanica as well as the European S. viscosa to the genus Melandrium, characterized by a strictly unicellular caps. with no trace of septation at the base. Only a few of the known species are in cult. Silenes are of easy culture. They mostly bloom in summer, and a few continue well into autumn. By good management the season of bloom may be continued through spring and summer. Toward this end the seeds of the common annual kinds should be sown in early autumn, instead of spring. As a rule, the common kinds prefer a sandy loam and full sunlight, but the rock-garden kinds require special treatment, and other suggestions for cultivation are given after the specific descriptions. The most popular kinds are the pink and rose annuals, S. Armeria and S. pendula. Of the perennials the most popular among the white-fld. kinds are S. maritima and S. alpestris, while S. virginica, S. pennsylvanica and S. Schafta are amongst the most popular kinds with colored flowers. A good horticultural review of the kinds in cultivation is found in The Garden, vol. 11, pp. 10-13 (1877). S. Chaffta, Hort., is probably a misspelling of S. Schafta.—S. Correvoniana, Hort., is offered as a rare plant growing in "compact tufts, with rosy pink fls. which almost resemble minute roses." —S. graminifolia, Hort., is not recognizable, as there are three plants going under that name.—S. Kitabeliana, Hort., may be S. multicaulis.—S. orientalis, Mill., is according to Miller a plant with st. erect, hirsute: lvs. nerved: fls. Purplish; calyx conical. It is not treated botanically by Williams, DeCandolle, Boissier, Nicholson, or Voss. but is offered in the trade as a perennial, 2-2 1/2 ft. high: fls. bright rose, in a head. Var. alba, Hort. and var. compacta, Hort., are also offered.—S. pteris grandiflora, Hort., is offered in the trade; the species is unknown botanically.—S. Wardii, Hort., is likened to S. Schafta on a large scale: said to grow about 1 ft. high, to have a loose graceful habit and an abundance of bright pink fls. Offered in the trade. CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Species

About 300 species, including:
Silene acaulis (Moss Campion)
Silene alpestris
Silene armeria (Sweet William Catchfly)
Silene biafrae
Silene caroliniana (Wild Pink)
Silene conica (Sand Catchfly)
Silene coronaria (Rose Campion)
Silene dichotoma (Forked Catchfly)
Silene diclinis
Silene dioica (Red Campion)
Silene fernandezii
Silene fimbriata
Silene gallica (Small-flowered Catchfly)
Silene gazulensis
Silene hicesiae
Silene hifacensis
Silene italica (Italian Catchfly)
Silene laciniata
Silene latifolia (White Campion)
Silene linicola (Flaxfield Catchfly)
Silene maritima (Sea Campion)
Silene noctiflora (Night-flowering Catchfly)
Silene nutans (Nottingham Catchfly)
Silene otites (Spanish Catchfly)
Silene regia (Showy Catchfly)
Silene rupestris (Rock Campion)
Silene schafta
Silene sennenii
Silene sorensenis (Sorensen's Catchfly)
Silene stellata (Starry Campion)
Silene suecica
Silene uniflora (Sea Campion)
Silene villosa
Silene virginica (Fire Pink)
Silene viscosa (White Sticky Catchfly)
Silene vulgaris (Bladder Campion)
Silene wahlbergella (Northern Catchfly)

Gallery

• 

  Red Campion, Silene dioica

• 

  A hybrid campion S. dioica × S. latifolia

• 

  Sea campion, Silene maritima

• 

  Silene regia "Prairie Fire"

References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Silene. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Silene QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)