Catchfly – Silene spp.

Common Name: Catchfly

Botanical Name: Silene spp., si-LE-ne

Flower Color: Pink, White

Availability: Summer

• Member of the Caryophyllaceae (pink family) with common relatives including carnation, sweet William, Gypsophila, chickweed and soapwort.
• Depending on species, native over a wide area in North America from the arctic to tropical areas. Also native to Tropical African mountains.

• Stems often woody at base. Flowers generally solitary.

No specific storage data has been located to date.

• Silene is a classical plant name of obscure origin, sometimes said to have been used by medieval botanists.
• Some species of Silene are dioecious, meaning they have female and male flowers on separate plants. For example, with S. latifolia, the male flowers last only about 1 day whereas the female flowers last about 7.