TREATMENT FROM THE JEPSON MANUAL (1993) |
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©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California
For up-to-date information about California vascular plants, visit the Jepson eFlora. |
AND IS MAINTAINED FOR ARCHIVAL PURPOSES ONLY |
Annual, biennial, perennial herb, rarely dioecious, taprooted or rhizome generally slender
Leaves simple, generally opposite; stipules generally 0; petiole generally 0; blade entire, sheath generally 0
Inflorescence: cyme, generally open; flowers fewmany or flower solitary and axillary; involucre generally 0
Flower generally bisexual, radial; hypanthium sometimes present; sepals generally 5, ± free or fused into a tube, tube generally herbaceous between lobes or teeth; awns generally 0; petals generally 5 or 0, generally tapered to base (or with claw long, blade expanded), entire to 2several-lobed, blade generally without scale-like appendages (inner surface), generally without ear-like lobes at base; stamens generally 10, generally fertile, generally free, generally from ovary base; nectaries generally 0; ovary superior, generally 1-chambered, placentas basal or free-central, styles 25 or 1 and 23-branched
Fruit: capsule or utricle (rarely modified, dehiscent), generally sessile
Seeds: appendage generally 0
Genera in family: 85 genera, 2400 species: widespread, especially arctic, alpine, temp, n hemisphere; some cultivated (Agrostemma, Arenaria, Cerastium, Dianthus, Gypsophila, Lychnis, Saponaria, Silene, Vaccaria ).
Annual, biennial, perennial herb, ± erect, rarely dioecious, taprooted or rhizomed
Leaves petioled or not; blade linear to oblanceolate; vein 1
Inflorescence: cyme, generally terminal, sometimes axillary, open to dense; flowers fewmany, generally erect, generally with pedicels 540+ mm
Flower generally bisexual; sepals 5, fused, tube prominent, 425 mm, 213 mm diam, cylindric to bell-shaped, rounded, hairs various or 0, veins generally 10+, lobes or teeth 113 mm, < tube, triangular to linear; petals 5, 648 mm, claw long, blade entire or 26-lobed, appendages 06 at junction of claw and blade; basal lobes present or 0; stamens generally fertile, fused with petals to stalk; ovary chamber 1 or ± incompletely 35, styles 35, 135 mm
Fruit: capsule, cylindric to ovoid; stalk 07 mm, generally glabrous; teeth 3, 6, or 10, ascending to recurved
Seeds many, gray to red, brown, or black
Species in genus: 500 species: n hemisphere
Etymology: (Greek: Probably from mythological Silenus, intoxicated foster-father of Bacchus, who was covered with foam, from sticky secretions of many species)
Reference: [Hitchcock & Maguire 1947 Univ Wash Publ Biol 13:173; Showers 1987 Madroño 2940]
Introduced |
Biennial, perennial herb 30100 cm, dioecious (flowers appear bisexual); caudex few-branched
Stem erect, generally rough-hairy, ± glandular above
Leaves gradually reduced upward; lower 510 cm, 625 mm wide, oblanceolate; upper 1.58 cm, 315 mm wide, lanceolate
Inflorescence: flowers ascending to erect, subsessile to short-pedicelled
Flower: calyx 1220 mm, short-hairy, lobes 36 mm; staminate calyx 10-veined; pistillate calyx ± 20-veined, much inflated in fruit; petal claw glabrous, appendages 2, blade 2-lobed, white; stamens = or > petals; styles 5, exserted
Fruit ovoid; stalk 12 mm
Seed 12 mm, brown
Chromosomes: 2n=24
Ecology: Fields, roadsides
Elevation: < 1000 m.
Bioregional distribution: North Coast, Outer North Coast Ranges, s Sierra Nevada Foothills, Great Central Valley, San Francisco Bay Area
Distribution outside California: to e US; native to Europe
Synonyms: Lychnis a. Mill
Often mistaken for S. noctiflora L.