FNPS Plant Database

Silene catesbaei

fringed campion
  • Photo by: Rick Cantrell, Magnolia Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Rick Cantrell, Magnolia Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

fringed campion

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Silene catesbaei

Family:

Caryophyllaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

0.5-1 ft tall by 2 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

pink

Fruit Color:

NA

Phenology:

winter dormant

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Groundcover.

Considerations:

Availability:

Seed, Friends

Propagation:

Seed, division.  

Light:

Part Sun, Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Not wet but not extremely dry ---to--- Somewhat long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Clay, Loam

Soil pH:

Calcarious

Suitable to Grow In:

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Visited by small insects including bees but the specific pollinators are apparently not known.  

Native Habitats:

Slope forest. On calcareous soils.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Rare and listed as endangered. Please obtain this plant only from reputable native plant nurseries or friends -- do not harvest from the wild. Little is known about the culture of this species. Other Silene species do well if divided at the crown during the winter every few years.

Citations:

Georgia Biodiversity.   https://georgiabiodiversity.org/natels/profile?es_id=18409



Huegel, Craig, N.  2012.  Native wildflowers and other ground covers for Florida landscapes. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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