Silene gallica L.

Small Flower Catchfly; Windmill Pink

Herb

Annual

Vascular

Small Flower Catchfly is an introduced annual in the Pink family (Caryophyllaceae). It is native to Eurasia and North Africa, but has been introduced worldwide. In Alabama it has been found in the southern half of the state. Small Flower Catchfly occurs in disturbed areas, on roadsides, and in fallow fields. It is a branched, erect or sprawling herbaceous annual from a tap root. The stems are green in color and pubescent with long bent whitish hairs and shorter glandular hairs. The leaves are opposite, short petiolate or sessile, oblanceolate to spatulate or lanceolate in outline, pubescent on both surfaces, and with entire margins. Flowers are produced in terminal inflorescences. Each flower has the sepals united into a tubular calyx with 10 purplish veins. The calyx is pubescent with glandular and non-glandular hairs, and persists as an inflated papery bag around the fruit. The corolla consists of 5 petals that are white or pink, often with a darker pink spot. Each flower has ten stamens and three stigmas. The fruit is a capsule with many small reddish-brown seed.—A. Diamond.

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Not Native

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