Silene latifolia ssp. alba

Native to Asia, Europe, and Northern Africa. Introduced and naturalized in the United States.

Disturbed sites.

June to October

White

12″ to 40″

This is a 12″ to 40″ tall, erect, occasionally annual, usually biennial or short-lived perennial, forb that rises from a stout, fleshy taproot. When young the plant forms a basal rosette of leaves. Later it sends up flowering stems.

The stems are erect or recline on the ground but with the tips ascending. When the plants are uncrowded the stems are branched, when crowded they are branched only near the top. The stems are finely hairy and are covered with minute, short, glandular hairs near the top. There are up to 10 pairs of leaves on the stem.

Basal leaves are broad, oblong lance-shaped to elliptic, hairy, and on leaf stalks. They are usually withering by the time the plant is in full flower. Stem leaves are narrower and opposite. They are lance-shaped to elliptic, 1⅛″ to 4¾″ long, less than ¼″ to 1½″ wide, becoming progressively smaller as they ascend the stem. They taper gradually to a pointed tip and are attached to the stem without a leaf stalk. They are hairy on the upper and lower surface. The margins are untoothed and sometimes slightly wavy or crinkled.

The inflorescence is open, much-branched cluster in which each axis produces an opposite pair of lateral axes. Each axis pair is subtended by a pair of small, lance-shaped bracts.

Male and female flowers are borne on separate plants. Both flowers are ¾″ to 1″ wide when fully open.

The sepals are fused at the base into a tube (calyx) terminating in 5 short lobes. The calyx is ⅜″ to 1⅛″ long, prominently veined, and hairy. The veins are often accented with purple.

The 5 petals are white, strongly two-lobed, inversely egg-shaped with the attachment at the narrow end, horizontally spreading, with a stalk-like narrow base (claw). The flowers are fragrant. They open in the evening.

On male plants the calyx has 10 major veins that are raised on the surface (prominent), forming ridges. The flower is on a short stalk or is nearly stalkless. There are 10 stamens that typically do not project beyond the calyx.

On female plants the calyx has 20 major veins, 10 bold and 10 faint, and becomes inflated and egg-shaped, ⅓″ to ⅔″ wide. The flower is on a ⅜″ to 2″ long erect stalk. There are 5 styles that project barely beyond the calyx.

The fruit is a green, hairless, egg-shaped capsule the same size as the calyx, with 5 upright teeth (appearing as 10) at the top.

Balkan catchfly (Silene csereii) stems and leaves are hairless and glaucous. The stems do not have glandular hairs. The inflorescence has long, raceme-like primary branches. The calyx is smaller, only slightly inflated, and not ridged. It has 10 long and 10 short veins. In male flowers, the stalks of the stamens that support the anthers are purple. Female flowers have 3 styles which are 2 times longer than the calyx. The flowers open during daytime. The fruit has 6 teeth at the top.

Bladder campion (Silene vulgaris) stems and leaves are hairless. The stems do not have glandular hairs. Plants either have both male and female flowers or they have female flowers only. The calyx is not ridged. It has 20 obscure, equal veins with a network of veins between them. The calyx the veins are green at first, then become pinkish. Female flowers have 3 styles which are 2 times longer than the calyx. The flowers open during daytime. The fruit has 6 teeth at the top.

Drummond’s campion (Silene drummondii var. drummondii) has narrow, ⅜″ wide stem leaves.

Night-flowering catchfly (Silene noctiflora) has perfect flowers with both male and female reproductive organs. The calyx is narrow at the mouth and constricted around the base. The flowers have just 3 styles. The fruit has 6 teeth at the top that are bent backwards.

Starry campion (Silene stellata) stems are unbranched. The leaves are in whorls of 4. The female flower has just 3 styles. The petals have 4 to 12 frilly lobes.