Nearctica - Eastern Wildflowers - Caryophyllaceae - Evening Lychnis (Silene latifolia)

Evening Lychnis

(Silene latifolia)

Color Photographs: Copyright Nearctica.com, Inc.

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

Silene vulgaris

The hairy calyx sac and stem will easily separate Evening Lychnis from Bladder Campion.

Silene noctiflora

The flower of Night-flowering Catchly has 3 styles, not 5. The flowers of Night-flowering Catchfly tend to occur in clusters nearly sessile to the pair of leaves on either side.

Evening Lychnis (Silene latifolia)

Alien: Native of Europe.

Identification: Flowers white with 5 deeply cleft petals and 5 styles. Calyx sac about twice as long as wide, although sometimes swollen, ridges accented with purple. Flowers on stalks. Calyx sac and stem hairy to pubescent. Leaves blade-shaped, hairy, with smooth outer margins, and sessile to the stem. Plant 1 to 2 feet in height.

Distribution: Most of North America except for the south-central and southwestern United States.

Habitat: Evening Lychnis is a species of disturbed habitats such as fields, lots, and roadsides.

Flowering period: June to September.

Evening Lychnis (Silene latifolia)

Similar Species:

Bladder Campion (Silene vulgaris)

Night-flowering Catchfly (Silene noctiflora)

Similar Species