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Published In: Manuel d'Herborisation en Suisse et en Valais 146. 1811. (Man. Herbor. Suisse) Name publication detail
 

Project Name Data (Last Modified On 8/11/2017)
Acceptance : Accepted
Project Data     (Last Modified On 7/9/2009)
Status: Introduced

 

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6. Silene dioica (L.) Clairv. (red campion)

Lychnis dioica L.

Map 1485, Pl. 348 c

Plants perennial, dioecious, usually with short rhizomes. Stems 15–80 cm long, ascending, often from a spreading base, branched, moderately to densely pubescent with long, spreading hairs, sometimes also with sparse, stalked glands toward the tip. Basal leaves often present at flowering, shorter than the largest stem leaves with a poorly developed, short or long petiole. Stem leaves opposite, mostly 5–10 pairs, short-petiolate (lower leaves) or sessile. Leaf blades 3–9 cm long, ovate to broadly ovate or elliptic, tapered at the base, angled or short-tapered to a sharply pointed tip, the surfaces moderately to densely short-hairy, especially along the midvein. Flowers imperfect (either all staminate or all pistillate), in open to slender terminal panicles or clusters, often forked basally, the stalks 0.2–2.0 cm long, with long, spreading, nonglandular hairs, rarely also with sparse, stalked glands, the bracts paired and resembling small leaves, with green margins. Sepals 9–17 mm long, the tube with 10 parallel nonanastomosing nerves, more or less bell-shaped, not inflated, the nerves green or often purplish-tinged, pale between the nerves, long-hairy, the lobes triangular to lanceolate, green or purplish-tinged, sharply pointed at the tip, the margins herbaceous and green or thin and white. Petals 5, 18–25 mm long, the expanded portion 7–10 mm long, entire to 2-lobed at the tip, deep pink to pink, with a pair of small appendages on the upper surface at the base of the expanded portion. Styles 5. Fruits 10–12 mm long, dehiscing apically by 10 teeth, lacking a stalklike base. Seeds 1.0–1.6 mm wide, kidney-shaped and plump, the surface with small papillae, dark brown to black. 2n=24. May–September.

Introduced, uncommon, known thus far from St. Louis County (native of Europe; introduced in the northern U.S. south to Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Oregon; Canada). Habitat unknown but presumably open, disturbed areas.

This species is accepted as part of the Missouri flora with some reservations. Palmer and Steyermark (1935) and Steyermark (1963) cited Jackson County as the source for their inclusion of S. dioica (as Lychnis dioica) in the Missouri flora. However, no specimens from that county could be located during the present research, and it seems likely that the original determination was in error. Subsequently, however, a specimen was collected by Bill Bauer that possibly originated from St. Louis County (the label has no further locality data, but Bauer was living in Webster Groves at the time). The species is included here based on that record. Silene dioica is completely interfertile with the white-flowered S. latifolia, and Morton (2005c) stated that hybrids are formed readily where the two species grow in proximity. He also noted that such hybrids are very difficult to distinguish from S. dioica from herbarium specimens on which pale pink corollas or a mix of pink and white flowers cannot be observed with confidence. Nevertheless, Morton annotated a specimen from St. Louis County as representing this hybrid, which suggests that both parents were growing somewhere in the vicinity (further support for the dot in St. Louis County in Map 1485).

 
 


 

 
 
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