Silene dichotoma subsp. dichotoma
forked catchfly
Caryophyllaceae (Pink family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

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Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Silene dichotoma subsp. dichotoma
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Species Information

General:
Annual herb from a taproot; stems erect, solitary, simple to branched, strongly stiff-hairy, 20-80 cm tall.
Leaves:
Basal leaves stalked, lanceolate to oblanceolate, short-hairy, 3-8 cm long, 0.5-3.5 cm wide; stem leaves opposite, short-hairy, slightly if at all reduced but becoming unstalked above; stipules lacking.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of usually numerous flowers, falsely racemose, the flowers actually solitary at each node, usually perfect, but sometimes more or less with either male or female flowers; petals 5, white to occasionally pink, stalklike at the bases, the narrow stalks 10-15 mm long, thes blade 5-9 mm long, wedge-shaped to egg-shaped, 2-cleft more than half its length, the basal appendages about 0.2 mm long and rounded; sepals 5, united, forming a tube 10-15 mm long, 10-nerved, hairy.
Fruits:
Capsules egg-shaped, 3-valved; seeds dark brown, kidney-shaped, 1-1.5 mm long, finely and regularly wrinkled.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat and Range

Dry roadsides, fields and waste places in the steppe and montane zones; rare in SW BC (known from Vancouver) and SE BC; introduced from Eurasia.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia