Common name: French Catchfly
Silene gallica L. APNI* Description: Erect or ascending annual herb.
Leaves obovate to oblong-elliptic, 10–35 mm long, 1–10 mm wide, covered in short glandular, short simple and long multicellular hairs.
Flowers bisexual; calyx usually 7–10 mm long, 10-veined, glandular-hairy, pilose on veins, acute inflated in fruit, veins often purplish. Petal-limb to 5 mm long, entire to emarginate, white or pink, sometimes with dark crimson blotch on base of limb, coronal scales c. 1 mm long; styles 3, c. 1.5 mm long.
Capsule ovoid, 6–9 mm long. Seeds reniform, faces deeply concave, dark greyish-brown, bluntly tuberculate, 0.8–1.2 mm long.
Flowering: spring and early summer.
Distribution and occurrence: In disturbed areas. Almost cosmop., native of Eur.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC, *SC, *NT, *CT, *ST, *NWS, *CWS, *SWS, *NWP, *SWP, *NFWP, *LHI
Other Australian states: *Qld *Vic. *Tas. *S.A. *W.A.
Text by A. Doust
Taxon concept:
| | Key to the varieties | |
| 1 | Petals white or pink | var. gallica |
| Petals with a dark crimson blotch at base of limb | var. quinquevulnera |
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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