Silene douglasii is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae known by the common name Douglas's catchfly.[1]

Silene douglasii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Genus: Silene
Species:
S. douglasii
Binomial name
Silene douglasii

It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Wyoming, where it grows in several habitat types, including forests, woodlands, and coastal scrub.[1]

Description edit

Silene douglasii is a tufted perennial herb growing from a branching caudex and taproot, its stems decumbent to erect and up to 70 centimeters long. The stem is coated in curly or feltlike gray-white hairs. The lance-shaped leaves are up to 6 centimeters long on the lower stem and are smaller farther up.

Each flower is encapsulated in a cylindrical inflated calyx of sepals lined with ten green or purple-red veins. It is open at the tip, revealing five white, pink or purplish petals, each with two wide lobes at the tip.

Varieties edit

There are three varieties of this species.

  • Silene douglasii var. douglasii [2][3]
  • Silene douglasii var. oraria — Seabluff catchfly, rare and endemic to the Oregon coastline.[4]
  • Silene douglasii var. rupinae [5]

References edit

  1. ^ a b USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Silene douglasii". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  2. ^ USDA: Silene douglasii var. douglasii
  3. ^ Calflora: Silene douglasii var. douglasii
  4. ^ USDA: Silene douglasii var. oraria
  5. ^ USDA: Silene douglasii var. rupinae

External links edit