Silene dioica
Silene dioica | |
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Silene dioica (red campion) | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Caryophyllales |
Family: | Caryophyllaceae |
Genus: | Silene |
Species: | S. dioica
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Binomial name | |
Silene dioica | |
Synonyms[1] | |
List
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Silene dioica (
Description
It is a
Blooming from May to October, the unscented
The fruit, produced from July onwards, is an ovoid capsule containing numerous seeds, opening at the apex by 10 teeth which curve back.
Taxonomy
Plants of Silene latifolia × Silene dioica = Silene × hampeana that are fertile hybrids with the closely related white campion (Silene latifolia) are common in some areas. They may have paler pink flowers and be intermediate between the two species in other characters.[4]
Distribution and habitat
Silene dioica is native to northern and central Europe and is locally abundant throughout the British Isles.[5] It is generally common in Northern Ireland,[6] but rare elsewhere in Ireland.[7] It is common on the Isle of Man.[8] It has been introduced in Iceland, Canada, the US, and Argentina.[1]
Red campion grows in roadsides, woodlands, and rocky slopes. It prefers to grow on damp, non-acid soils.[9]
Ecology
The flowers are frequently visited by flies such as
The flowers of red-campion along with a number of other Caryophyllaceae members, are very susceptible to a smut (fungus) infection. In this case by Microbotryum silenes-dioicae known as anther-smut[11] which appears as a mass of brown spores in the mouth of the flower where the anthers would normally be.
Cultivation
This plant is used as an ornamental perennial flower for the perennial border. One particularly notable variety is a hot pink, double flowered variety with deep green leaves called 'Firefly'.
In culture
On the Isle of Man, it is known as "blaa ny ferrishyn" or "fairy flower", and there is a local taboo against picking it.[8]
References
- ^ a b "Silene dioica (L.) Clairv". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Silene dioica". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
- ISBN 9780521707725.
- ^ Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G. and Warburg, E.F. 1962. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press.
- ISBN 0-85389-446-9
- ISBN 0-85221-131-7
- ^ a b Moore, A.W. (1924). A Vocabulary of the Anglo-Manx Dialect. Oxford University Press.
- ^ EnchantedForest: Red Campion Archived 2006-05-21 at the Wayback Machine
- PMID 25754608.
- PMID 20406409.