Silene douglasii

Hooker

Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 88. 1830.

Common names: Douglas’s catchfly
Endemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 5. Treatment on page 182. Mentioned on page 171, 172, 198.

Plants perennial; taproot stout; caudex branched, woody. Stems several–many, ascending from decumbent base, usually unbranched, slender, 10–40 (–70) cm, with short, fine, dense, retrorse or curled grayish white hairs, rarely subglabrous, typically not glandular but occasionally somewhat glandular distally. Leaves 2 per node, finely retrorse; blade with no visible lateral-veins, midrib distinct, oblanceolate, elliptic to linear, 2–10 cm × 1.5–13 mm, apex acute, puberulent to glabrous; basal leaves numerous, blade spatulate; cauline in 1–8 pairs, distal ones sessile. Inflorescences typically cymose, occasionally with reduced lateral cymes, 1-flowered or 3-flowered, open, bracteate, grayish white retrorse-puberulent, typically not glandular, rarely with few stipitate-glands; bracts narrowly lanceolate, 2–10 × 0.5–2 mm, herbaceous, puberulent. Pedicels ascending, straight, 0.5–4 cm. Flowers: calyx green, sometimes suffused with purple, prominently 10-veined, tubular in flower, campanulate and ± inflated in fruit, occasionally somewhat constricted near base, 12–15 × 3–10 mm, papery, grayish white retrorse-puberulent and eglandular, often ciliate, rarely glabrous or with few stipitate-glands, veins parallel, green, forked and connate between lobes, lobes 5, erect, ovate-triangular, 2–3 mm, margins membranous, apex blunt; corolla creamy white, often greenish and occasionally tinged with dark-pink, clawed, to 2 times calyx, claw slightly longer than calyx, limb obovate-lanceolate, deeply 2-lobed, 4–11 mm, lobes oblong, rounded, margins entire to erose, appendages 1–2 (–3) mm; stamens equaling corolla claw; styles 3–5, 1–11/2 times corolla claw. Capsules ovoid-ellipsoid, 11/3 times calyx, opening by 3–5 ascending to spreading teeth; carpophore 3–4 mm. Seeds rusty brown, broadly reniform, sides flat, 1.2–1.5 mm, margins coarsely papillate, verrucate-tuberculate.

Distribution

V5 365-distribution-map.gif

B.C., Calif., Idaho, Mont., Nev., Oreg., Utah, Wash., Wyo.

Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

Silene douglasii is usually readily recognized by its characteristic short, retrorse, grayish-white, eglandular pubescence on the calyx and pedicels. This, together with the usual absence of lateral teeth on the petals, appears to be the only reliable character separating it from S. parryi. However, intermediates between the two species occur, and it is probable that the occasional plants of S. douglasii with stipitate-glandular hairs in the inflorescence (e.g., var. rupinae and some plants that have been referred to var. monantha) have arisen through gene exchange with S. parryi, although it should be noted that A. R. Kruckeberg (1961) reported that such hybrids, when artificially produced, were sterile.

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Leaf blades 3-13 mm wide, 0.3-0.7 mm thick, fleshy; calyces strongly inflated, (4-)7-10(-12) mm diam. at anthesis; petal limbs 5-11 mm wide, often with lateral tooth on each side; coastal Oregon Silene douglasii var. oraria
1 Leaf blades 1.5-9 mm wide, 0.1-0.5 mm thick, not fleshy; calyces not strongly inflated, (3-)5-8(-10) mm diam. at anthesis; petal limbs 1-5 mm wide, usually without lateral teeth; widespread in w North America > 2
2 Leaf blades 1.5-5 mm wide, typically over 15 times longer than wide, ± linear; pubescence on inflorecences and calyces often glandular; cliffs and ledges of Columbia River gorge Silene douglasii var. rupinae
2 Leaf blades 2-9 mm wide, typically 5-10 times longer than wide, oblanceolate to elliptic to broadly linear; pubescence on inflorescences and calyces eglandular (very rarely with few stipitate glands); widespread in w North America Silene douglasii var. douglasii

"fine" is not a number.

... more about "Silene douglasii"
awned +  and not hooded +
puberulent +  and glabrous +
blunt;acute +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
John K. Morton +
Hooker +
dentate +, emarginate to 2-fid +  and entire +
spatulate +
rarely +  and not succulent +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
lanceolate +
reduced +
scarious +  and herbaceous +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
eglandular +  and 10-veined +
grayish white +, suffused with purple +  and green +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
with few stipitate-glands +, glabrous +  and retrorse-puberulent +
inflated;campanulate;tubular +
constricted +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
ovoid-ellipsoid +
11/3 times calyx +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
slightly longer +
conspicuous +
Douglas’s catchfly +
greenish and occasionally tinged with dark-pink +  and creamy white +
dissected +  and variously--shaped +
dish--shaped +
expanded +
B.C. +, Calif. +, Idaho +, Mont. +, Nev. +, Oreg. +, Utah +, Wash. +  and Wyo. +
peripheral +
subsessile +  and sessile +
conspicuous +
glandular-pubescent +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
stalked +  and simple +
grayish white +
bracteate +, open +, 3-flowered +, 1-flowered +  and cymose +
retrorse-puberulent +
sessile +  and petiolate +
whorled +  and opposite +
connate +
conspicuous +
2-lobed;obovate-lanceolate +
4mm +  and 11mm +
purplish +  and green +
rounded +, oblong +  and ovate-triangular +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
entire +  and erose +
verrucate-tuberculate +  and papillate +
membranous +
elliptic to linear +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
oblanceolate +
1.5mm +  and 13mm +
swollen +
3 +  and 5 +
crassinucellate +  and bitegmic +
campylotropous +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
off-white tinged with purple +, dusky purple +, scarlet +, pink +  and white +
fugacious +
Fl. Bor.-Amer. +
rusty brown +
papillate +  and tuberculate +
reniform +
2.8 cm28 mm <br />0.028 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
persistent +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2.8 cm28 mm <br />0.028 m <br />) +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
rhizomatous +  and stoloniferous +
fewer +  and 10 +
40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br /> (70 cm700 mm <br />0.7 m <br />) +
prostrate +, decumbent +  and sprawling +
subglabrous +
several;many +
slender +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br />) +
[30 +, 4 +, 5 +  and 3 +
papillate +
distinct +
3 +  and 5 +
filiform +
1-11/2 times corolla claw +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
Anotites +, Atocion +, Coronaria +, Gastrolychnis +, Lychnis +, Melandrium +, Physolychnis +, Viscaria +  and Wahlbergella +
Silene douglasii +
species +
ascending;spreading +
3 (?) +  and 5 (?) +
divided +
10-30-veined +
purplish +, whitish +  and green +
inflated +, terete +, cylindric +  and campanulate urceolate or clavate +
membranous +
3 (?) +  and 5 (?) +
connate +
stoloniferous +, rhizomatous +  and taprooted +
pubescence of simple hairs or stalked glands +  and glabrous +