Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Caryophyllales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Silene ovata
FAMILY
Caryophyllaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read about Surprising Silene from Linda Chafin and the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society.
Read more about Mountain Catchfly at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Silene ovata
FAMILY
Caryophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 5 (2005)
Silene ovata
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 071-17-009:
Silene ovata FAMILY Caryophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Silene ovata
COMMON NAME:
Mountain Catchfly, Fringed Campion, Blue Ridge Catchfly
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
JK Marlow jkm170826_809
August Spartanburg County SC
In cultivation
Petals not merely fringed but very deeply cleft into linear segments, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
Penny Longhurst pen_20170815_113908
August Buncombe County NC
Mountains to Sea Trail
)
Penny Longhurst pen_20210813_112320
August Buncombe County NC
Mountains to Sea Trail
Leaves sessile, oval to elliptical, tapering to a sharp point, per Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019).
)
Penny Longhurst pen_20220819_132536
August Buncombe County NC
Mountains to Sea Trail
Plant coarse, pubescent. Leaves ovate; base broad, rounded somewhat clasping, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
Penny Longhurst pen_20220819_133448
August Buncombe County NC
Mountains to Sea Trail
Flowers in panicle-like terminal clusters, per Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019).
)
Penny Longhurst pen_20220819_133452
August Buncombe County NC
Mountains to Sea Trail
)
Penny Longhurst pen_20220819_133500
August Buncombe County NC
Mountains to Sea Trail
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Silene ovata
FAMILY
Caryophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Silene ovata
FAMILY
Caryophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 5
Silene ovata
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 071-17-009:
Silene ovata
FAMILY
Caryophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Silene ovata
3071
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Circumneutral soils of woodlands and forests, especially over mafic or calcareous rocks, mostly at medium elevations in the mountains, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Rare (historically in SC Coastal Plain, but not recently seen)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Mostly opposite
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
White
Radially symmetrical
5-lobed tubular calyx
5 petals
10 stamens
Superior ovary
Usually bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p435
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007) p363
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p132
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p010
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p069
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p153
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p057
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p080
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p037
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".