snowy campion
(Silene nivea)
Conservation • Wetland • Description • Habitat • Biology • Use • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
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| IUCN Red List | not listed |
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| NatureServe | N4? - Apparently Secure S2 - Imperiled |
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| Minnesota | Threatened |
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Wetland Indicator Status |
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| Great Plains | FACW - Facultative wetland |
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| Midwest | FACW - Facultative wetland |
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| Northcentral & Northeast | FACW - Facultative wetland |
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Description |
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Snowy campion is a 12″ to 36″ tall, erect, perennial forb that rises from an elongated rhizome. The stems are erect, unbranched or sparsely branched, and leafy. The stem leaves are in opposite pairs. They are elliptic to lance-shaped, 2″ to 4″ long, ⅜″ to 1⅓″ wide, largest near the middle of the stem, smaller and withering toward the base. They taper gradually to a long pointed tip with concave sides along the tip. They are attached to the stem on a short leaf stalk or no stalk at all. The margins are untoothed. The inflorescence is an open, leafy cluster of 1 to 12 but usually 3 to 5 flowers. The sepals are fused at the base into a tube (calyx) terminating in 5 short lobes. The calyx is ⅓″ to ⅔″ long, from less than ¼″ to ⅓″ wide. It has a broad base with a navel-like indentation. It is green and broadly tubular to bell-shaped. It has 10 obscure green veins with no obvious network of veins between them. It has no ribs and is either hairless or densely covered with hairs. Flowers are about ½″ wide when fully open, and are on stalks that are 2 to 2½ times as long as the calyx. The 5 petals are white, 2-lobed, with a stalk-like narrow base (claw). The 10 stamens and 3 styles protrude slightly from the calyx. The flowers open in the evening. The fruit is a green, hairless, egg-shaped, 1-chambered capsule the same size as the calyx, with 3 teeth at the top that sometimes split and appear to be 6 teeth. |
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Height |
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12″ to 36″ |
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Flower Color |
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White |
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Similar Species |
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| Snowy campion is recognized by the green calyx with obscure veins and a broad base with a navel-like indentation. | ||
Habitat |
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Moderate moisture. Openings in alluvial forests and meadows. |
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Biology |
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Flowering |
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June to August |
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Use |
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Distribution |
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Sources |
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| 1/12/2012 | ||||
Nativity |
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Native |
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Occurrence |
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Taxonomy |
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| Kingdom | Plantae (green algae and land plants) | ||
| Subkingdom | Viridiplantae (green plants) | ||
| Infrakingdom | Streptophyta (land plants and green algae) | ||
| Superdivision | Embryophyta (land plants) | ||
| Division | Tracheophyta (vascular plants) | ||
| Subdivision | Spermatophytina (seed plants) | ||
| Class | Magnoliopsida (flowering plants) | ||
| Subclass | Caryophyllidae | ||
| Superorder | Caryophyllanae | ||
Order |
Caryophyllales (pinks, cactuses, and allies) | ||
Family |
Caryophyllaceae (pink) | ||
| Subfamily | Caryophylloideae | ||
| Tribe | Sileneae | ||
Genus |
Silene (catchfly) | ||
Subordinate Taxa |
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Synonyms |
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Cucubalus niveus Silene alba |
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Common Names |
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evening campion snowy campion snowy catchfly |
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Glossary
Calyx
The flower cup. May be the group of outer floral leaves (sepals) collectively, or a tube with lobes.
Claw
A stalk-like narrowed base of some petals and sepals.
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