Silene sargentii
Encyclopedia
Silene 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 disjunct occurrence
in central Washington. It grows in rocky mountain habitat in subalpine
and alpine climate
s. It is a perennial herb growing from a woody, branching caudex
and taproot
, sending up several decumbent or erect stems and shoots. It grows no more than about 20 centimeters tall, often taking a clumpy form. The fleshy leaves are widely lance-shaped and a few centimeters in length, most of them occurring around the caudex. Each flower is encapsulated in a hairy, glandular calyx of fused sepal
s which has stark purple veining. The petals are white to deep pink and each has two or more rounded or pointed lobes at the tip.
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 name Sargent's catchfly. It is native to the western United States, where it is known from the mountain ranges straddling the 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...
-Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
border east of the Sierra Nevada. It is also known from one disjunct occurrence
Disjunct distribution
In biology, a taxon with a disjunct distribution is one that has two or more groups that are related but widely separated from each other geographically...
in central Washington. It grows in rocky mountain habitat in subalpine
Subalpine
The subalpine zone is the biotic zone immediately below tree line around the world. Species that occur in this zone depend on the location of the zone on the Earth, for example, Snow Gum in Australia, or Subalpine Larch, Mountain Hemlock and Subalpine Fir in western North America.Trees in the...
and alpine climate
Alpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
s. It is a perennial herb growing 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...
and 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...
, sending up several decumbent or erect stems and shoots. It grows no more than about 20 centimeters tall, often taking a clumpy form. The fleshy leaves are widely lance-shaped and a few centimeters in length, most of them occurring around the caudex. Each flower is encapsulated in a hairy, 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 which has stark purple veining. The petals are white to deep pink and each has two or more rounded or pointed lobes at the tip.