Sweet William catchfly
Scientific name: Silene armeria L.
Family: Caryophyllaceae
MORPHOLOGY
Habit and Size: Annual or biennial plant, 15-70 cm tall, with a glabrous, glaucous-pruinose appearance, and sticky in the upper part.
Stem: Erect stem, simple or branched at the top.
Leaves: Lanceolate-oval leaves that clasp the stem, with the lower leaves being narrower and spatulate.
Flowers: Flowers grouped in corymbose inflorescences with terminal dichotomy; main pedicel about 15 mm, shorter lateral ones. Petals are purplish-pink, 10-28 mm in diameter, obovate, entire or notched. Scarious bracts are ovate-acute. Calyx is funnel-shaped to sub-cylindrical with 10 veins, glabrous, and truncated at the base, 14-20 mm long. Blooms from April to June.
Fruits and Seeds: The fruit is a cylindrical capsule, 7-7.5 mm long; seeds are kidney-shaped, reticulated, 0.5-0.6 x 0.6-0.7 mm, with a flat or slightly concave face and a slightly canaliculated back.
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
Widespread throughout Italy except for the major islands and Puglia, in dry or rocky fallow lands, from 0 to 1,200 meters.
Photo: licensed free of charge from Saxifraga and Jan van der Straaten, Rutger Barendse, Willem van Kruijsbergen
 
		 
	
















