Silene antirrhina

Native

Dry. Open woods, fields, roadsides, disturbed areas. Often appears after a burning. Full sun.

June to September

White, often reddish

8″ to 32″

This is a 8″ to 32″ tall, erect, annual forb that rises from a slender, branching taproot. It is easy to miss when not in bloom. This is a highly variable species. At one time it was divided into several varieties according to the presence or absence of petals, color of petals, and presence of sticky bands. These characteristics overlap significantly, and the varieties are no longer valid.

The stems are green, erect, slender, and unbranched except near the inflorescence. The lower part of the stem is covered with fine, short, soft hairs. The upper part is hairless but has dark, sticky bands between the upper nodes.

Basal leaves are inverse lance-shaped to spatula-shaped, with the attachment at the narrow end. Stem leaves are in opposite pairs. They are narrowly inversely lance-shaped, with the attachment at the narrow end, to linear, ⅜″ to 3½″ long, and from less than ⅛″ to ⅔″ wide. The bases do not wrap partially around (clasp) the stem. They are attached to the stem without a leaf stalk. They are either rough to the touch or minutely hairy, rarely hairless and smooth. The margins are untoothed and have a fringe of hairs near the base.

The inflorescence is as loose cluster of flowers at the end of the stem.

Individual flowers are about ¼″ across and on straight, upright stalks.

The sepals are fused at the base into a tube (calyx) terminating in short, usually purple lobes. The calyx is green, hairless, and smooth. It is egg-shaped, ⅛″ to ⅓″ long, and about ⅛″ to ¼″ wide. It has 10 veins that are raised on the surface (prominent), forming ridges.

Some varieties have flowers with no petals or with petals that do not protrude from the calyx. When petals are present, they are white, sometimes suffused with red, with 2 lobes. They are horizontally spreading, with a stalk-like narrow base (claw) about equaling the calyx in length. They open during daytime. The 10 stamens do not protrude from the calyx. The 3 styles do not protrude from the calyx. The flowers are not fragrant.

The fruit is a hairless, egg-shaped, 3-chambered capsule the same size as the calyx. It has with 6 teeth at the top.