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Photographer: Steve C. Garske
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Family Caryophyllaceae
Silene armeria L.
sweet-William catchfly, sweet-William 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.
armeria: Latinized from the old French name armoires for a cluster-headed dianthus
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| Status: | Introduced - escaped |
| Plant: | erect, annual, 4"-28" tall, mostly hairless forb; stems sometimes with sticky areas below the upper nodes |
| Flower: | pink to lavender, 5-parted, 1/2" wide, sepals tubular and tight at the bottom, petals 2-lobed; inflorescence dense, branched clusters (cymes); blooms June-July |
| Leaf: | stalkless, more or less clasping |
| Habitat: | disturbed sites |
| (Glossary) |
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