Silene
Encyclopedia
Silene is a genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Caryophyllaceae
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...
. Common names include campion
Campion
Campion may refer to:-Biology:* Flowering plants of the Caryophyllaceae genera Lychnis and Silene, including:** Silene acaulis, or moss campion, a flower found in Eurasia and North America...
(shared with the related genus Lychnis
Lychnis
Lychnis is a genus of 15-25 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to Europe, Asia and north Africa. The genus is closely related to Silene, differing in the flowers having five styles , the seed capsule having five teeth , and in the sticky stems of Lychnis...
) and catchfly.
Red Campion
Red Campion
Red campion is a flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native throughout central, western and northern Europe, and locally in southern Europe....
(S. dioica) and White Campion
White Campion
Silene latifolia, or White Campion, is a dioecious flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to most of Europe, Western Asia and Northern Africa...
(S. latifolia) are common wildflower
Wildflower
A wildflower is a flower that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. Yet "wildflower" meadows of a few mixed species are sold in seed packets. The term "wildflower" has been made vague by commercial seedsmen who are interested in selling more flowers or seeds more...
s throughout Europe and elsewhere. They readily hybridise to produce plants with paler pink flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s. The Moss campion
Moss campion
Silene acaulis, moss campion, is a small mountain-dwelling wildflower that is common all over the high arctic and the higher mountains of Eurasia and North America, .It is densely tufted, forming domed cushions composed of long shoots with four or five small green...
is common in the high Arctic.
Silene species are used as food plants by the larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species - see list of Lepidoptera that feed on Silene.
Silene undulata (syn. Silene capensis
Silene capensis
Silene capensis is a plant native to the Eastern Cape of South Africa, where it is regarded by the Xhosa people as a sacred plant...
) is used by the Xhosa tribe in Africa as an oneirogenic agent. Reputedly, a small amount of the root bark of this species is pulverised with water to produce a white froth. This froth is then sucked off and swallowed. The user's dreams for the following several nights are said to be more vivid and memorable than usual, although no effects are felt while awake.
Species
If the related genera LychnisLychnis
Lychnis is a genus of 15-25 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to Europe, Asia and north Africa. The genus is closely related to Silene, differing in the flowers having five styles , the seed capsule having five teeth , and in the sticky stems of Lychnis...
, Melandrium, and Viscaria are included in Silene, it contains about 700 species. They are found in many areas, mostly in the Northern hemisphere. Pre-2003 divisions of the genus into subgenera or sections do not seem to be well-supported by molecular evidence.
Species include:
- Silene acaulis (Moss Campion)
- Silene alexandriSilene alexandriSilene alexandri is a rare species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names Kamalo Gulch catchfly and Alexander's catchfly. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the island of Molokai...
(Kamalo Gulch Catchfly) - Silene antirrhinaSilene antirrhinaSilene antirrhina is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name sleepy catchfly. It is native to the Americas, where it is widespread throughout North America and parts of South America. It is known in Europe as an introduced species. It can be found in a wide range of...
(Sleepy Catchfly) - Silene apertaSilene apertaSilene aperta is a rare species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names naked catchfly and Tulare campion. It is endemic to Tulare County, California, where it is known only from the coniferous forests of the High Sierra Nevada...
(Naked Catchfly) - Silene armeria (Sweet William Catchfly)
- Silene bernardinaSilene bernardinaSilene bernardina is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name Palmer's catchfly. It is native to western North America from Washington and Idaho to Baja California, where it grows in several types of habitat, including mountain forests and higher-elevation habitat in...
(Palmer's Catchfly) - Silene biafraeSilene biafraeSilene biafrae is a species of plant in the Caryophyllaceae family. It is endemic to Cameroon. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.-Source:* Cheek, M. & Cable, S. 2000. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
- Silene bridgesiiSilene bridgesiiSilene bridgesii is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name Bridges' catchfly. It is native to California, where it can be found throughout the Sierra Nevada and the southern reaches of the Cascade Range to the north, its distribution possibly extending into Oregon....
(Bridges' Catchfly) - Silene campanulataSilene campanulataSilene campanulata is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names Red Mountain catchfly and bell catchfly. It is native to the mountains of Oregon and northern California, where it grows in forest and chaparral habitat, sometimes on serpentine soils...
(Red Mountain Catchfly) - Silene capensisSilene capensisSilene capensis is a plant native to the Eastern Cape of South Africa, where it is regarded by the Xhosa people as a sacred plant...
(African dream root) - Silene carolinianaSilene carolinianaSilene caroliniana, or Wild Pink, is a flowering plant located in the United States....
(Wild Pink) - Silene conica (Sand Catchfly)
- Silene conoideaSilene conoideaSilene conoidea is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names weed silene and large sand catchfly. It is native to Eurasia, and it is known in other parts of the world, such as western North America, as a weed. It is an annual herb growing up to a meter in height with...
(Weed Silene) - Silene coronaria (Rose Campion)
- Silene dichotomaSilene dichotomaSilene dichotoma is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name forked catchfly. It is native to Eurasia and it is known in other parts of the temperate world, such as sections of North America, where it is a weed that grows in disturbed habitat. It is an annual herb...
(Forked Catchfly) - Silene diclinisSilene diclinisSilene diclinis is a species of plant in the Caryophyllaceae family. It is endemic to Spain. Its natural habitat is pastureland. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* Montesinos, D. & Güemes, J. 2006. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
- Silene dioica (Red Campion)
- Silene douglasiiSilene douglasiiSilene douglasii is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name Douglas' catchfly. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Wyoming, where it grows in several habitat types, including forests, woodlands, and coastal scrub...
(Douglas' Catchfly) - Silene fernandeziiSilene fernandeziiSilene fernandezii is a species of plant in the Caryophyllaceae family. It is endemic to Spain. Its natural habitat is rocky areas. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
- Silene gallicaSilene gallicaSilene gallica is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by several common names, including common catchfly, small-flowered catchfly, and windmill pink. It is native to Eurasia and North Africa, but it can be found throughout much of the temperate world as a common roadside weed...
(Small-flowered Catchfly) - Silene gazulensisSilene gazulensisSilene gazulensis is a species of plant in the Caryophyllaceae family. It is endemic to Spain. Its natural habitat is rocky areas. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
- Silene grayiSilene grayiSilene grayi is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name Gray's catchfly. It is native to the mountains of Oregon and northern California, including the Klamath Mountains, where it grows in chaparral, mountain forests, and the talus of high slopes in alpine climates...
(Gray's Catchfly) - Silene hawaiiensisSilene hawaiiensisSilene hawaiiensis is a rare species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names Hawaiian catchfly and Sherff's catchfly. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the island of Hawaii...
(Hawaii Catchfly) - Silene hicesiaeSilene hicesiaeSilene hicesiae is a species of plant in the Caryophyllaceae family. It is endemic to Italy. Its natural habitats are Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation and rocky areas. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
- Silene hookeriSilene hookeriSilene hookeri is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names Hooker's silene, Hooker's Indian pink, and Hooker's glandular campion...
(Hooker's Silene) - Silene horvati (Horvats's Catchfly)
- Silene invisaSilene invisaSilene invisa is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names red fir catchfly and short-petaled campion. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the southernmost Cascade Range and northernmost Sierra Nevada. It grows in the coniferous forests of the...
(Red Fir Catchfly) - Silene italica (Italian Catchfly)
- Silene laciniataSilene laciniataSilene laciniata is a herbaceous flowering plant in the genus Silene that is commonly called Indian-pink, cardinal catchfly, Mexican campion, or Mexican-pink...
- Silene lanceolataSilene lanceolataSilene lanceolata is a rare species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names Kauai catchfly and lanceolate catchfly. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from Oahu, Molokai, and Hawaii, having been extirpated from Kauai and Lanai...
(Kauai Catchfly) - Silene latifolia (White Campion)
- Silene lemmoniiSilene lemmoniiSilene lemmonii is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name Lemmon's catchfly. It is native to the mountains of Oregon and California, where it grows in many types of woodland and forest habitat, often in moist areas. It is a perennial herb producing several stems...
(Lemmon's Catchfly) - Silene linicola (Flaxfield Catchfly)
- Silene maritima (Sea Campion)
- Silene marmorensisSilene marmorensisSilene marmorensis is a rare species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names Marble Mountain catchfly, Marble Mountain campion, and Somes Bar campion. It is endemic to the southern Klamath Mountains of northern California, where it grows in mountain woodlands and forests...
(Marble Mountain Catchfly) - Silene menziesiiSilene menziesiiSilene menziesii is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name Menzies' campion. It is native to western North America from Alaska through the western half of Canada to the southwestern United States. It can be found in many types of habitat and it is quite common in...
(Menzies' Campion) - Silene multinerviaSilene multinerviaSilene multinervia is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name manynerve catchfly. It is native to the coastal hills and mountain ranges of California and Baja California, where it grows in chaparral and other local habitat. It is an annual herb producing a hairy,...
(Manynerve Catchfly) - Silene noctifloraSilene noctifloraSilene noctiflora is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name night-flowering catchfly. It is native to Eurasia, but it is known on other continents as an introduced species and sometimes a weed. In North America, it is a common weed of grain crops in the Canadian...
(Night-flowering Catchfly) - Silene nudaSilene nudaSilene nuda is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name western fringed catchfly. It is native to the Sierra Nevada and Modoc Plateau of California, its distribution extending into Oregon and Nevada. It grows in forest, woodland, and scrub habitat, sometimes in...
(Western Fringed Catchfly) - Silene nutans (Nottingham Catchfly)
- Silene occidentalisSilene occidentalisSilene occidentalis is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name western catchfly. It is endemic to northern California, where it is known from the southern Cascade Range and sections of the Modoc Plateau and Sierra Nevada. It grows in chaparral and mountain forest...
(Western Catchfly) - Silene oreganaSilene oreganaSilene oregana is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name Oregon catchfly, or Oregon silene. It is native to the western United States, including the Great Basin, where it grows in habitat such as sagebrush and forests...
(Oregon Silene) - Silene otites (Spanish Catchfly)
- Silene ovataSilene ovataOvate-leaved Catchfly is a herbaceous plant in the plant family Caryophyllaceae. This perennial plant grows up to 1.5 m tall and has large opposite leaves without petioles which are 5-12 cm long and taper to a long point, 2-5 cm wide and numerous finely fringed white flowers with an...
(Ovate-leaved Catchfly) - Silene paeoniensis (Paeonian Catchfly)
- Silene parishiiSilene parishiiSilene parishii is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name Parish's catchfly. It is endemic to southern California, where it is known from several of the local mountain ranges, including the San Bernardino, San Gabriel, and San Jacinto Mountains. It grows in rocky,...
(Parish's Catchfly) - Silene perlmaniiSilene perlmaniiSilene perlmanii is a rare species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name cliff-face catchfly. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the southern Waianae Mountains of Oahu. Today there are no plants left in the wild. The species is in cultivation at the...
(Cliff-face Catchfly) - Silene polypetalaSilene polypetalaSilene polypetala is a rare species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names eastern fringed catchfly and fringed campion. It is native to Georgia and northern Florida in the United States. It is threatened by the loss and degradation of its habitat...
(Eastern Fringed Catchfly) - Silene prilepensis (Prilep Catchfly)
- Silene regia (Royal Catchfly, Showy Catchfly)
- Silene rupestrisSilene rupestrisSilene rupestris or Rock Campion is a plant species of the genus Silene....
(Rock Campion) - Silene salmonaceaSilene salmonaceaSilene salmonacea is a rare, newly described species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names Klamath Mountain catchfly and salmon-flowered catchfly. It is known only from Trinity County, California, where it grows in the forests of the southern Klamath Mountains. It is a...
(Klamath Mountain Catchfly) - Silene sargentiiSilene sargentiiSilene sargentii is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name Sargent's catchfly. It is native to the western United States, where it is known from the mountain ranges straddling the California-Nevada border east of the Sierra Nevada. It is also known from one...
(Sargent's Catchfly) - Silene scouleriSilene scouleriSilene scouleri is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name simple campion. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Colorado. There are at least three subspecies which all vary in size, shape, habitat preference, and distribution....
(Simple Campion) - Silene senneniiSilene senneniiSilene sennenii is a species of plant in the Caryophyllaceae family. It is endemic to Spain. Its natural habitat is Mediterranean Matorral shrubland vegetation. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
- Silene serpentinicolaSilene serpentinicolaSilene serpentinicola is a rare species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name serpentine Indian pink and serpentine catchfly. It was described to science in 2004. It is currently known only from Del Norte County, California, where it is an endemic of the serpentine soils of...
(Serpentine Indian pink) - Silene sorensenis (Sorensen's Catchfly)
- Silene spaldingiiSilene spaldingiiSilene spaldingii is a rare species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names Spalding's catchfly and Spalding's campion. It is native to eastern Washington, and eastern Oregon in the United States, as well as northern Idaho and northern Montana, where its distribution extends...
(Spalding's Silene) - Silene stellataSilene stellataSilene stellata, or Starry Campion, is a flowering plant in the United States....
(Starry Campion) - Silene suksdorfiiSilene suksdorfiiSilene suksdorfii is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names Suksdorf's silene and Cascade alpine campion. It is native to the Pacific Northwest of the United States, where it occurs from Washington and Idaho to northern California. It is mainly an alpine species,...
(Suksdorf's Silene) - Silene suecicaSilene suecicaSilene suecica is a species of plant in the Caryophyllaceae family. Its natural habitat is the mountains of Norway and Sweden but is sometimes found near the coasts. Because of its ability to grow in soils with heavy amounts of copper it is used as copper content indicator in geobotanical...
- Silene taimyrensisSilene taimyrensisSilene taimyrensis, or Taimyr catchfly, is a herbaceous perennial in the Caryophyllaceae, or pink family. It is native to the Yukon and British Columbia in Canada and to Alaska. It is found to an elevation of a 1500 meters, growing in exposed subalpine to alpine locations with poor, rocky to...
(Taymyr Catchfly) - Silene uniflora (Sea Campion)
- Silene verecundaSilene verecundaSilene verecunda is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name San Francisco campion. It is native to western North America, particularly California and Baja California, as well as Nevada and Utah. It grows in a number of habitat types, from coastline to high alpine...
(San Francisco Campion) - Silene villosaSilene villosaSilene villosa is a therophyte and an annual plant of the family Caryophyllaceae and genus Silene....
- Silene virginicaSilene virginicaFire Pink is a wildflower in the pink family, Caryophyllaceae. It is known for its distinct brilliant red flowers. Each flower is approximately five centimeters in diameter and composed of five notched, brilliant red petals which extend into a long tube. It is a small , short-lived perennial ,...
(Fire Pink) - Silene viscariopsis (Mariovo Catchfly)
- Silene viscosa (White Sticky Catchfly)
- Silene vulgarisSilene vulgarisSilene vulgaris, Silene cucubalus or Bladder Campion is a plant species of the genus Silene of the Pink Family . It is native to Europe, where in some parts it is eaten, but is widespread in North America where it is considered a weed..-Gastronomy:In Spain, the young shoots and the leaves are used...
(Bladder Campion) - Silene wahlbergella (Northern Catchfly)