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Photographer: Merel R. Black
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Family Caryophyllaceae
Silene antirrhina L.
sleepy catchfly, sleepy silene
Silene: probably from Greek sialon, "saliva," referring to gummy exudation on stems, and/or named for Silenus, intoxicated foster-father of Bacchus (god of wine) who was covered with foam, much like the glandular secretions of many species of this genus.
antirrhina: one of the senses of the Greek anti is "like," and rhina means "nose"
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| Status: | Native |
| Plant: | erect, annual, 2"-32" tall forb, softly hairy below, mostly hairless above except for some sticky bands below the upper nodes |
| Flower: | pink to white, 5-parted, 1/4" wide, sepals forming an often inflated, rounded tube with glands and 10 veins; petals shorter than the sepals and 2-lobed; inflorescence an open, few-flowered cluster; blooms June-Sept. |
| Leaf: | long, narrow, finely hairy near the bottom, stalkless but not clasping |
| Habitat: | disturbed sites; in rocky, sandy soil |
| (Glossary) |
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