Ragged Robin
Encyclopedia
Lychnis flos-cuculi, commonly called Ragged Robin, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the family Caryophyllaceae
. It is species is native to Europe, where it is found along roads and in wet meadows and pastures. In Britain
it has declined in numbers because of modern farming techniques and draining of wet-lands and is no longer common.
Lychnis flos-cuculi forms a rosette of low growing foliage with numerous flower stems 20 to 90 cm tall. The stems rise above the foliage and branch near the top of the stem and end with the pink flowers which are 3-4 cm across. The flowers have five narrow petals deeply divided into four lobes giving the flower an untidy, ragged appearance, hence its common name. The calyx
tube is five-toothed with ten stamen
s. The leaves are paired, with the lower leaves spoon-shaped and stalked. The middle and upper leaves are linear-lanceolate with pointed apexes. All of the leaves are untoothed. The stems have barbed hairs pointing downward and these hairs make the plant rough to the touch. Ragged Robins bloom from May to August, occasionally later, and butterflies and long-tongued bees feed on the flowers nectar. The fruits consist of small (6-10 mm) capsules opening on top by five teeth and containing many small seeds, they are found on the plants from August onwards.
It has become naturalized in northeastern United States.
Caryophyllaceae
The Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactaceae and Polygonaceae...
. It is species is native to Europe, where it is found along roads and in wet meadows and pastures. In Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
it has declined in numbers because of modern farming techniques and draining of wet-lands and is no longer common.
Description
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
tube is five-toothed with ten stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s. The leaves are paired, with the lower leaves spoon-shaped and stalked. The middle and upper leaves are linear-lanceolate with pointed apexes. All of the leaves are untoothed. The stems have barbed hairs pointing downward and these hairs make the plant rough to the touch. Ragged Robins bloom from May to August, occasionally later, and butterflies and long-tongued bees feed on the flowers nectar. The fruits consist of small (6-10 mm) capsules opening on top by five teeth and containing many small seeds, they are found on the plants from August onwards.
It has become naturalized in northeastern United States.
Cultivation
Commonly-found garden varieties include:- Lychnis flos-cuculi 'Nana' - dwarf form (4 inches) with smaller leaf rosettes and shorter flower stems.
- Lychnis flos-cuculi 'Alba' - white-flowered form.