Silene

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For other uses, see Silene (disambiguation).
Silene
Silene latifolia (White Campion)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Subfamily: Caryophylloideae
Tribe: Sileneae
Genus: Silene
L.
Species

About 300 species, see text.

Silene is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. Common names include "campion" (shared with the related genus Lychnis) and "catchfly".

Red Campion (S. dioica) and White Campion (S. latifolia) are common wildflowers throughout Europe and elsewhere. They readily hybridise to produce plants with paler pink flowers. The Moss campion is common in the high Arctic.

Silene species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species - see list of Lepidoptera that feed on Silene.

Contents

Name [edit]

Silene is the feminine form of Silenus, a Greek woodland deity.[1]

Uses [edit]

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Silene undulata (syn. Silene capensis) is used by the Xhosa tribe in Africa as an oneirogenic agent. Reputedly, a small amount of the root bark of this species is pulverised with water to produce a white froth. This froth is then sucked off and swallowed. The user's dreams for the following several nights are said to be more vivid and memorable than usual, although no effects are felt while awake.[citation needed]

Selected species [edit]

If the related genera Lychnis, Melandrium, and Viscaria are included in Silene, it contains about 700 species.[2] They are found in many areas, mostly in the Northern hemisphere.[2] Pre-2003 divisions of the genus into subgenera or sections do not seem to be well-supported by molecular evidence.[2]

Silene colorata

Species include:

References [edit]

  1. ^ Umberto Quattrocchi, CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names, 1999, ISBN 0-8493-2678-8, 4:2482
  2. ^ a b c "36. Silene Linnaeus". Flora of North America. 
  3. ^ a b Country Study for Biodiversity of the Republic of Macedonia (First National Report). Skopje: Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning. 2003. ISBN 9989-110-15-8. 
  4. ^ "Silene ovata Pursh". USDA Plants Website. 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-18. 
  5. ^ "Silene paeoniensis". Flora Europaea Website. 2001. Retrieved 2010-08-27. 
  6. ^ "List of rare, threatened and endemic plants in Europe (1982 edition)". COUNCIL OF EUROPE. Retrieved 2010-08-27. 

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Silene
Wikispecies has information related to: Silene
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