Silene is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. Common names include campion (shared with the related genus Lychnis) and catchfly.

Red Campion (S. dioica) and White Campion (S. latifolia) are common wildflowers throughout Europe and elsewhere. They readily hybridise to produce plants with paler pink flowers. The Moss campion is common in the high Arctic.

Silene species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species - see list of Lepidoptera that feed on Silene.

Name

Silene is the feminine form of Silenus, a Greek woodland deity.^[1]

Uses

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Silene undulata (syn. Silene capensis) is used by the Xhosa tribe in Africa as an oneirogenic agent. Reputedly, a small amount of the root bark of this species is pulverised with water to produce a white froth. This froth is then sucked off and swallowed. The user's dreams for the following several nights are said to be more vivid and memorable than usual, although no effects are felt while awake.^{[citation needed]}

Species

If the related genera Lychnis, Melandrium, and Viscaria are included in Silene, it contains about 700 species.^[2] They are found in many areas, mostly in the Northern hemisphere.^[2] Pre-2003 divisions of the genus into subgenera or sections do not seem to be well-supported by molecular evidence.^[2]

Species include:

• Silene acaulis (Moss Campion)
• Silene alexandri (Kamalo Gulch Catchfly)
• Silene antirrhina (Sleepy Catchfly)
• Silene aperta (Naked Catchfly)
• Silene armeria (Sweet William Catchfly)
• Silene bernardina (Palmer's Catchfly)
• Silene biafrae
• Silene bridgesii (Bridges' Catchfly)
• Silene campanulata (Red Mountain Catchfly)
• Silene capensis (African dream root)
• Silene caroliniana (Wild Pink)
• Silene conica (Sand Catchfly)
• Silene conoidea (Weed Silene)
• Silene coronaria (Rose Campion)
• Silene dichotoma (Forked Catchfly)
• Silene diclinis
• Silene dioica (Red Campion)
  
  

  

  Silene dioica
• Silene douglasii (Douglas' Catchfly)
• Silene fernandezii
• Silene gallica (Small-flowered Catchfly)
• Silene gazulensis
• Silene grayi (Gray's Catchfly)
• Silene hawaiiensis (Hawaii Catchfly)
• Silene hicesiae
• Silene hookeri (Hooker's Silene)
• Silene horvati (Horvats's Catchfly)^[3]
• Silene invisa (Red Fir Catchfly)
  
  

  

  Silene parryi
• Silene italica (Italian Catchfly)
  
• Silene laciniata
• Silene lanceolata (Kauai Catchfly)
• Silene latifolia (White Campion)
• Silene lemmonii (Lemmon's Catchfly)
• Silene linicola (Flaxfield Catchfly)
• Silene maritima (Sea Campion)
• Silene marmorensis (Marble Mountain Catchfly)
• Silene menziesii (Menzies' Campion)
• Silene multinervia (Manynerve Catchfly)
• Silene noctiflora (Night-flowering Catchfly)
• Silene nuda (Western Fringed Catchfly)
• Silene nutans (Nottingham Catchfly)
• Silene occidentalis (Western Catchfly)
• Silene oregana (Oregon Silene)
• Silene otites (Spanish Catchfly)
• Silene ovata (Ovate-leaved Catchfly)
  ^[4]
• Silene paeoniensis (Paeonian Catchfly)^[5]
• Silene parishii (Parish's Catchfly)
• Silene perlmanii (Cliff-face Catchfly)
• Silene polypetala (Eastern Fringed Catchfly)
• Silene prilepensis (Prilep Catchfly)^[3]
• Silene regia (Royal Catchfly, Showy Catchfly)
  
• Silene rupestris (Rock Campion)
• Silene salmonacea (Klamath Mountain Catchfly)
• Silene sargentii (Sargent's Catchfly)
  
  

  

  Silene virginica
• Silene scouleri (Simple Campion)
• Silene seelyi
• Silene sennenii
• Silene serpentinicola (Serpentine Indian pink)
• Silene sorensenis (Sorensen's Catchfly)
• Silene spaldingii (Spalding's Silene)
• Silene stellata (Starry Campion)
• Silene stenophylla (Narrow-leafed Campion)
• Silene suksdorfii (Suksdorf's Silene)
• Silene suecica
• Silene taimyrensis (Taymyr Catchfly)
• Silene uniflora (Sea Campion)
• Silene verecunda (San Francisco Campion)
• Silene villosa
• Silene virginica (Fire Pink)
• Silene viscariopsis (Mariovo Catchfly)^[6]
• Silene viscosa (White Sticky Catchfly)
• Silene vulgaris (Bladder Campion)
• Silene wahlbergella (Northern Catchfly)

References

1. ^ Umberto Quattrocchi, CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names, 1999, ISBN 0-8493-2678-8, 4:2482
2. ^ ^{a b c} "36. Silene Linnaeus". Flora of North America. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=130349. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Country Study for Biodiversity of the Republic of Macedonia (First National Report). Skopje: Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning. 2003. ISBN 9989-110-15-8. 
4. ^ "Silene ovata Pursh". USDA Plants Website. 2011. http://plants.usda.gov/java/nameSearch?keywordquery=silene+ovata&mode=sciname&submit.x=0&submit.y=0. Retrieved 2011-11-18. 
5. ^ "Silene paeoniensis". Flora Europaea Website. 2001. http://eunis.eea.europa.eu/species/165897. Retrieved 2010-08-27. 
6. ^ "List of rare, threatened and endemic plants in Europe (1982 edition)". COUNCIL OF EUROPE. http://www.archive.org/stream/listofrarethreat83iucn/listofrarethreat83iucn_djvu.txt. Retrieved 2010-08-27. 

• Pink, A. (2004). Gardening for the Million. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/11892.