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Silene noctiflora

(Night-Flowering Catchfly)

Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Danish:

Natlimurt

Common Names in Dutch:

Nachtkoekoeksbloem

Common Names in English:

Night-Flowering Catchfly, Nightflowering Silene, Sticky Cockle

Common Names in Estonian:

Oö-Hädaras, Oö-Põisrohi, Oö-Pusurohi

Common Names in Finnish:

Yöailakki

Common Names in French:

Mélandrie Noctiflore, Silène De La Nuit, Silène De Nuit, Silène Noctiflore

Common Names in German:

Ackernelke, Echte Lichtnelke

Common Names in Italian:

Silene Aprentesi Di Notte, Silene Che Si Apre Di Notte

Common Names in Japanese:

Tsukimi Sennou

Common Names in Portuguese:

Cabacinha

Common Names in Swedish:

Nattglim

Description

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Family Caryophyllaceae

Herbs annual or perennial , rarely subshrubs or shrubs . Stems and branches usually swollen at nodes. Leaves opposite, decussate, rarely alternate or verticillate , simple , entire, usually connate at base ; stipules scarious , bristly , or often absent. Inflorescence of cymes or cymose panicles, rarely flowers solitary or few in racemes , capitula, pseudoverticillasters, or umbels. Flowers actinomorphic , bisexual , rarely unisexual , occasionally cleistogamous . Sepals (4 or) 5, free , imbricate, or connate into a tube , leaflike or scarious, persistent , sometimes bracteate below calyx. Petals (4 or) 5, rarely absent, free, often comprising claw and limb; limb entire or split, usually with coronal scales at juncture of claw and limb. Stamens (2--) 5--10, in 1 or 2 series. Pistil 1; carpels 2--5, united into a compound ovary. Ovary superior, 1-loculed or basally imperfectly 2--5-loculed. Gynophore present or absent. Placentation free, central, rarely basal; ovules (1 or) few or numerous , campylotropous. Styles (1 or) 2--5, sometimes united at base. Fruit usually a capsule, with pericarp crustaceous , scarious, or papery , dehiscing by teeth or valves 1 or 2 × as many as styles, rarely berrylike with irregular dehiscence or an achene. Seeds 1 to numerous, reniform , ovoid , or rarely dorsiventrally compressed , abaxially grooved , blunt , or sharply pointed , rarely fimbriate-pectinate; testa granular , striate or tuberculate , rarely smooth or spongy ; embryo strongly curved and surrounding perisperm or straight but eccentric ; perisperm mealy.

Between 75 and 80 genera and ca. 2000 species: widespread but mainly of temperate or warm-temperate occurrence in the N hemisphere, with principal centers of distribution in the Mediterranean region and W Asia to W China and the Himalayas, fewer species in Africa S of the Sahara, America, and Oceania; 30 genera (two endemic) and 390 species (193 endemic) in China.

Arenaria, Silene, and Stellaria contain over half the species in the family in China. They are mostly concentrated in the Qinghai-Xizang plateau , and are especially rich from the Hengduan Mountains to the Himalayas. The main uses of this family are medicinal and ornamental . Dianthus superbus, Pseudostellaria heterophylla, Stellaria dichotoma var. lanceolata, and Vaccaria hispanica are commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine . Some species of Arenaria, Dianthus, Gypsophila, Psammosilene, and Silene are used as medicinal herbs among the people or are habitually used in local Chinese medicine. Many species of Dianthus, Gypsophila, Lychnis, Saponaria, and Silene are grown as ornamentals. Atocion armeria (Linnaeus) Rafinesque ( Silene armeria Linnaeus), native to Russia and Europe, is also cultivated in China. It differs from Silene in having a corymbose inflorescence and obscure calyx veins. Wu Cheng-yih, Ke Ping, Zhou Li-hua, Tang Chang-lin & Lu De-quan. 1996. Caryophyllaceae. In: Tang Chang-lin, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 26: 47–449.[1]

Genus Silene

Herbs, annual , biennial, or perennial , often decumbent at base or sometimes cespitose. Taproots slender or often stout, deep, branched caudex often present, some species stoloniferous or rhizomatous . Stems simple or branched, terete or sometimes angular. Leaves opposite or occasionally whorled , connate proximally, petiolate (basal leaves ) or sessile (most cauline leaves) ; blade 1-5-veined, linear to obovate or spatulate , herbaceous, apex acute to obtuse . Inflorescences terminal or sometimes axillary , simple or branched, sometimes condensed cymes, frequently flowers few or solitary, frequently glandular-pubescent and viscid ; bracts paired , herbaceous or scarious , or absent; involucel bracteoles absent. Pedicels erect , rarely flowers sessile or subsessile . Flowers bisexual , sometimes unisexual (rarely so on separate plants ) ; sepals connate proximally into tube , (4-) 10-28(-40) mm; tube green, whitish, and/or purplish, 10-30-veined, cylindric to campanulate , urceolate , or clavate , terete, frequently inflated , membranous or more rarely herbaceous, commissures between sepals 1-veined, herbaceous; lobes green or purplish, 1-5-veined, broadly triangular to lance-oblong or linear, usually shorter than tube, margins whitish, scarious, apex acute to obtuse; petals 5, white, pink, scarlet, dusky purple, or off-white tinged with purple, clawed, claw usually conspicuous , sometimes small, rarely absent, auricles 2, coronal appendages 2, variously shaped or dissected ; limb usually exserted and conspicuous, oblanceolate to obovate, apex 2-lobed, sometimes dissected into 1-4 linear lobes or irregular teeth, or fimbriate, rarely entire; nectaries at filament bases; stamens 10, rarely fewer or absent, frequently dimorphic with longer opposite petals, arising with petals from carpophore; filaments distinct nearly to base; staminodes absent (rarely to 10 in pistillate flowers, arising with petals from carpophore, filiform ) ; ovary 1- or 3-5-locular; styles 3 or 5, occasionally 4 (absent in staminate flowers ), filiform, 1.5-20 mm, glabrous proximally; stigmas 3 or 5, occasionally 4, linear along adaxial surface of styles, papillate (30×) . Capsules ovoid to globose , opening along sutures into 3-5 valves , frequently splitting into 6-10 equal teeth; carpophore usually present. Seeds ca. (5-) 15-100(-500+), reddish to gray or black, reniform to globose, usually tuberculate or papillate, papillae around margins sometimes larger and inflated, marginal wing sometimes present, appendage absent; embryo peripheral, curved . x = (10) 12.

Species ca. 700: mainly Northern Hemisphere.

Silene includes several important weeds and some very beautiful horticultural plants. In addition to the species described in this account, several others have occurred in the flora area as chance introductions or garden escapes , but they have not become established and most have not been seen recently. They include S. coeli-rosa (Linnaeus) Godron, S. cretica Linnaeus, S. (Lychnis) fulgens (Fischer) E. H. L. Krause, S. italica Persoon, and S. nutans Linnaeus.

In this account, Lychnis, Melandrium, and Viscaria have been included in Silene, their previous recognition as distinct genera having resulted in a great deal of confusion in both nomenclature and taxonomy. I have not presented an infrageneric classification of Silene because existing systems either do not include those other genera (e.g. , P. K . Chowdhuri 1957) or do not deal with most of our native North American taxa [e.g., W. Greuter (1995) and the molecular studies by Oxelman and coworkers (e.g., B . Oxelman et al. 1997, 2000]. The recent molecular study by J. G. Burleigh and T. P. Holtsford (2003) provides little support for existing morphologically based sectional classifications within Silene insofar as they relate to endemic North American taxa. However, it does indicate the distinctness of our arctic alpine species (S. involucrata€”as S. furcata, and S. acaulis) that are circumpolar in their distribution.[2]

Physical Description

Species Silene noctiflora

Plants annual , densely pubescent throughout, viscid-glandular, especially distally; taproot slender. Stems erect , simple proximal to inflorescence or with few basal branches, branched distally, to 75 cm. Leaves 2 per node, gradually reduced distally; basal blades oblanceolate , 6-12(-14) cm × 20-45 mm; cauline blades ascending , conspicuously veined, broadly elliptic to lanceolate, 1-11 cm × 3-40 mm, apex acute, shortly acuminate, densely pubescent on both surfaces. Inflorescences cymose , 3-15-flowered, bracteate ; cyme open, flowers held on ascending branches; bracts leaflike, narrowly lanceolate, 1-5 cm, apex acuminate. Pedicels ascending, straight, 1/ 3-3 times longer than calyx. Flowers nocturnal , 20-25 mm diam.; calyx prominently 10-veined, ovate-elliptic, fusiform , narrowed to both ends and constricted around carpophore, 15-24(-40) × ca. 3 mm in flower, swelling to 10 mm diam. in fruit, thin and papery , margins dentate , with pale commissures ; lobes erect, often recurved in fruit, linear-lanceolate, long, narrow, (3-) 5-10(-15) mm, apex acuminate, short-pubescent, glandular , interspersed with long eglandular hairs , veins anastomosing; corolla white, often pink tinged, clawed, claw equaling calyx lobes, limb deeply 2-lobed, lobes usually narrow, appendages 0.5-1.5 mm broad, margins entire or erose; stamens shorter than petals; styles 3, shorter than petals. Capsules ovoid , constricted at mouth , equaling or slightly longer than calyx tube, opening by 6 recurved teeth; carpophore 1-3 mm. Seeds dark brown to black, with gray bloom , broadly reniform , 0.8-1 mm, strongly tuberculate . 2n = 24. [source]

Silene noctiflora is sometimes confused with S. latifolia, but they are very different species. Silene noctiflora differs in having perfect flowers with long, very narrow calyx teeth and an elliptic, fruiting calyx that is narrow at the mouth and constricted around the capsule base . It also has three styles and a capsule that dehisces by six teeth; S. latifolia has (four or) five styles and a capsule that dehisces by five bifid teeth. The flowers of S. noctiflora, as its name indicates, are nocturnal and moth-pollinated. [source]

Habit: Forb/herb

Flowers: Single pink or pale pink flowers in April, May, June, July. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Petals 5, clawed. Limb crimson, 2cm long, 6mm broad, notched at apex, glabrous . Claw -2cm long, mostly scarious but reddish near apex, glabrous. Fornices 2, 3-4mm long, erect , red. Stamens 10, half adnate at base of petals, half not adnate to petals, exserted. Filaments 2.4cm long, glabrous, greenish-white below, reddish near apex. Anthers 3mm long, 2-lobed, greyish-green. Ovary on small gynophore(to 1.5mm long), cylindric , yellow-green, 6mm long, -2mm in diameter. Placentation free-central . Ovules many. Styles 3, white below, red above, -2cm long. Calyx tube to 1.7cm long, 5-lobed, densely glandular pubescent , often with a reddish tinge, 10-nerved, glabrous internally. Lobes acute, triangular, 4mm long. • Bloom Period: May, June, July. • Flower Color: near white, pale pink, white

Foliage: Narrow, strap-like lanceolate leaves. Stems and the bases of flowers are covered with sticky hairs . Leaves of basal rosette spatulate , petiolate , to +/-15cm long (with petiole ), 2cm broad, acute, entire. Blades mostly glabrous . Margins ciliate , especially on petiole. Cauline leaves opposite, becoming sessile, lanceolate to lance-linear , entire, viscid glandular pubescent , acute, reduced upward, typically less than 8 pairs on a stem.

Size/Age/Growth

Size: 12-18" tall.

Landscaping

Landscape Uses: Rock gardens. Wildflower gardens. Shade gardens. • Care: Tolerates coastal conditions.

Habitat

Arable land, disturbed ground ; 0-3000 m ; introduced [3].

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,793 meters (0 to 9,163 feet).[4]

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: Annual

Growth

Culture: Space 15-18" apart.

Soil: Moderately fertile , well-drained soil.

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Sun to partial shade. Likes sun.

Moisture: Water Requirements: Drought tolerant .

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11. (map)

Taxonomy

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Unambiguous Synonyms

  1. Elisanthe noctiflora (L.) Rupr.
  2. Melandrium noctiflorum (Linnaeus) Fries

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Place of publication : Sp. pl. 1:419. 1753

Name verified on 26-Mar-1996 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 26-Mar-1996

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Silene

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 1438 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

S. abietum · S. acaulis (Cushion-Pink) · S. acaulis acaulis var. acaulis · S. acaulis 'Alba' · S. acaulis artica · S. acaulis 'Blush' · S. acaulis bryoides · S. acaulis 'Correvoniana' · S. acaulis excapa · S. acaulis exscapa · S. acaulis 'Frances' · S. acaulis 'Francis Copeland' · S. acaulis 'Helen's Double' · S. acaulis longiscapa · S. acaulis 'Mount Snowdon' · S. acaulis 'Pedunculata' · S. acaulis 'Plena' · S. acaulis 'Saxatilis' · S. acaulis subacaulescens · S. acaulis subaculescens · S. acaulis subsp. vanensis · S. acaulis var. acaulis (Cushion-Pink) · S. acaulis var. exscapa (Moss Campion) · S. acaulis var. subacaulescens (Moss Catchfly) · S. acaulis variegata · S. acaulis 'White Rabbit' · S. acutidentata · S. acutifolia · S. adelphiae · S. adenantha · S. adenocalyx · S. adenopetala · S. adenophora · S. adscendens · S. aegaea · S. aegyptiaca · S. aegyptica · S. aelleni · S. aellenii · S. aethiopica · S. aetolica · S. aff. nigrescens · S. affinis · S. agrestina · S. agricola · S. agrostemma · S. ajanensis · S. akaisialpina · S. akmaniana · S. alaschanica · S. alba · S. albescens · S. aleppica · S. alexandri (Kamalo Gulch Catchfly) · S. alexandrina · S. alexeji · S. almolae · S. alpestris (Alpine Catchfly) · S. alpestris 'Flore Pleno' · S. alpicola · S. alpina · S. alsinoides · S. altaica · S. amana · S. amassiensis · S. ambigua · S. ammophila · S. amoena · S. amphorina · S. ampullata · S. amurensis · S. anastomosans · S. anatolica · S. andersonii · S. andersonii andersonii · S. andicola · S. andryalifolia · S. anglica · S. angustifolia · S. angustissima · S. anisoloba · S. annulata · S. anomala · S. antarctica · S. antelopum · S. antirrhina (Sleepy Catchfly) · S. antirrhina depauperata · S. antirrhina divaricata · S. antri-jovis · S. aomorensis · S. aperta (Naked Catchfly) · S. apetala · S. apetalum · S. aprica · S. aprica var. oldhamiana · S. arabica · S. araratica · S. araxina · S. arenaria · S. arenarioides

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 18, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Dequan Lu, Zhengyi Wu, Lihua Zhou, Shilong Chen, Michael G. Gilbert, Magnus Lidén, John McNeill, John K. Morton, Bengt Oxelman, Richard K. Rabeler, Mats Thulin, Nicholas J. Turland & Warren L. Wagner "Caryophyllaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 6 Page 1. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. John K. Morton "Silene". in Flora of North America Vol. 5. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  3. "Silene noctiflora". in Flora of North America Vol. 5. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  4. Mean = 172.120 meters (564.698 feet), Standard Deviation = 230.180 based on 5,299 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
Last Revised: 7/1/2009