XSilene noctiflora - Night-flowering CatchflyX
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Night-flowering Catchfly -or- Stick Cockle (Silene noctiflora), family Caryophyllaceae (Pink)
This plant has a lot to capture the eye and one heck of a distribution. In Britrish Columbia (called a white cockle there) the plant is considered a pest, while in Britian it is endangered. Hmmm, we think a swap is in order! In our realm (Colorado) these plants are plains and foothills dwellers. You won't see them up in the mountains on your high altitude hikes. The long bloon period gives one a good chance to see these fun looking plants. With their bulbous calyx behind the pure white flowers, they almost have a comic appearance. The Catch-fly is easily confused with White Campion. Look at the foliage to determine who you have. See our foliage shot for the Catch-fly. The Silene genus is a member of a huge family comprised of 88 genera and approximately 2000 species commonly known as the carnations or pinks. Our specimen is in the ranks of a plant that is only one of two flowering plants in the entire Antarctica.
USES: Per the outstanding website Native American Ethnobotany are the following uses of silene noctiflora: Menominee - used as unspecified medicine. Navajo and Rahma - poultice of leaves applied to prairie dog bite.
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Plant location: Foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado on June 6, 2008 Plant -
Bloom season: May to September Foliage -
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