SMALL-FLOWERED CATCHFLY

Silene gallica

Carnation & Campion (Pink) Family [Caryophyllaceae]

month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8aug month8sep month8sept month8oct

status
statusZarchaeophyte
 		 flower
flower8white
and/or		 flower
flower8pink
and/or		 flower
flower8red
and/or		 inner
inner8cream
yellowish		 morph
morph8actino
 		 petals
petalsZ5
 		 type
typeZspiked
 		 stem
stem8round
 		 rarity
rarityZuncommon
 		 sex
sexZbisexual
 

29th April 2014, Guernsey, Channel Islands Photo: © Maryline Calabrin
Small-flowered Catchfly comes in 3 colour forms, White, pink and red. The flowers are similar to those of White Campion (except that the petals are not cut) and the calyx tube is similar in the brown stripes on the outside, but there are differences! the petals are not properly white but rather yellowish-white (especially near the centre).


29th April 2014, Guernsey, Channel Islands Photo: © Maryline Calabrin
The stems are sticky, which is how it captures flies. The calyx tube (the objects with the brown stripes with long white hairs) is between 7 to 10mm long and has long teeth. The lower leaves are lanceolate, the upper ones narrower and linear.


29th April 2014, Guernsey, Channel Islands Photo: © Maryline Calabrin
The pink form only differs in the colour of the petals, intermediate between those of the white form and the red form.


29th April 2014, Guernsey, Channel Islands Photo: © Maryline Calabrin
It can be seen that the petals are narrower than those of White Campion and the hairs on the calyx are much longer than those of White Campion. The calyx has 10 veins [not 20] (the brown stripes) and without any interconnecting reticulations.


29th April 2014, Guernsey, Channel Islands Photo: © Maryline Calabrin
The red form has partly red petals. The patterning on the petals on both in pink and red forms can vary; they are not always nearly centrally placed as these specimens here. It is said that those flowers with red splodges are var. quinquevulnera.


29th April 2014, Guernsey, Channel Islands Photo: © Maryline Calabrin
The inside of the flower has several narrower and shorter inner 'petals'. On the top of the calyx can be espied a small fly (the wing is prominent) apparently caught by the stickiness of the plant.

Photos of the leaves and the whole plant from top to bottom are required.

  Silene gallica  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Caryophyllaceae  

Distribution
family8Carnation & Campion (Pink) family8Caryophyllaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Silene
Silene
(Campions)

SMALL-FLOWERED CATCHFLY

Silene gallica

Carnation & Campion (Pink) Family [Caryophyllaceae]