Silene virginica

Fire pink
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Caryophyllaceae
Genus:	Silene
Species:	S. virginica
Binomial name
Silene virginica L.

Silene virginica, the fire pink, is a wildflower in the pink family, Caryophyllaceae. It is known for its distinct brilliant red flowers. Each flower is approximately five centimeters in diameter and composed of five notched, brilliant red petals which extend into a long tube. It is a small (20–80 cm tall), short-lived perennial (2–3 years), with lance shaped leaves. Its stems, and the bases of the flowers, are covered in short sticky hairs. Fire pink begins blooming in late spring and continuing throughout the summer. It is sometimes grown in wildflower, shade, and rock gardens.

Ecology

Fire pink grows in open woods and rocky deciduous slopes in eastern North America, ranging as far north as extreme southern Ontario. It is protected as a state endangered species in Wisconsin and Florida, and as a state threatened species in Michigan.

Fire pink's principal pollinator is the ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), which is attracted by the flowers bright red petals and sugary nectar.

Varieties

There are two recognized varieties of fire pink. Most plants of this species are classified as Silene virginica var. virginica, however an endemic variety occurs in West Virginia called Silene virginica var. robusta.

References

• 
  Silene virginica in Shades State Park, Indiana.
• 
  A fire pink in Mammoth Cave National Park.
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  Silene virginica