Caryophyllaceae, the pink family.
Description:
Plant:
Hairy, often branching stems, 1'-4', with opposite leaves,
bear loose clusters of
white flowers with deeply notched petals. Annual, or short-lived perennial.
Flowers:
White, with five deeply notched petals surrounding a distinctively swollen
calyx-tube. About 1" wide. The plant is dioecious.
Female flowers have five extended styles.
Leaves:
Opposite, ovate, hairy, smooth-margined, and sessile or nearly so. To 4".
Fruit:
Blooming:
May-August
Habitat:
Fields, weedy areas.
Comments:
This European import is widely naturalized in North America.
It is sometimes called Bladder Campion, but that name is more often used
for S. vulgaris, another European import which has narrower
petals and leaves, three styles on the female flowers, and is much less
hairy overall.
The plant is dioecious, meaning that male and female flowers are distinct
and borne on separate plants, a relatively uncommon situation among
North American wildflowers.
The plant shown here is female.
Other plants in the genus are referred to as lychnis and catchfly;
the swollen calyx-tube is a common feature.
Where to find it:
Near the pond inlet by the lodge.