Silene campanulata
Encyclopedia
Silene 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 soil
s. It is a perennial herb growing up to 40 centimeters tall with many small shoots coming from a woody, branching caudex
with a taproot
. The erect stems are usually hairy and often have glandular, sticky patches on their upper parts. The leaves are up to 5 centimeters long by 3 wide, the lower ones lance-shaped to rounded, and the upper ones linear or oval. Nodding flowers occur in a terminal cyme at the top of the stem, as well as in some of the leaf axils. Each has a hairy, often glandular calyx of fused sepal
s. This bell-shaped green or purplish calyx is open at the top, revealing five white, greenish, or pale pink petals. The petals have multilobed or fringed tips. The stamen
s and three long styles
protrude from the flower's center.
There are two to three subspecies which can look nearly alike.
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...
known by the common names Red Mountain catchfly and bell catchfly. It is native to the mountains of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows in forest and chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
habitat, sometimes on serpentine soil
Serpentine soil
A serpentine soil is derived from ultramafic rocks, in particular serpentinite, a rock formed by the hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle....
s. It is a perennial herb growing up to 40 centimeters tall with many small shoots coming from a woody, branching caudex
Caudex
A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...
with a taproot
Taproot
A taproot is an enlarged, somewhat straight to tapering plant root that grows vertically downward. It forms a center from which other roots sprout laterally.Plants with taproots are difficult to transplant...
. The erect stems are usually hairy and often have glandular, sticky patches on their upper parts. The leaves are up to 5 centimeters long by 3 wide, the lower ones lance-shaped to rounded, and the upper ones linear or oval. Nodding flowers occur in a terminal cyme at the top of the stem, as well as in some of the leaf axils. Each has a hairy, often glandular calyx of fused sepal
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...
s. This bell-shaped green or purplish calyx is open at the top, revealing five white, greenish, or pale pink petals. The petals have multilobed or fringed tips. The stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s and three long styles
Gynoecium
Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for all carpels in a flower. A carpel is the ovule and seed producing reproductive organ in flowering plants. Carpels are derived from ovule-bearing leaves which evolved to form a closed structure containing the ovules...
protrude from the flower's center.
There are two to three subspecies which can look nearly alike.