Silene involucrata

(Chamisso & Schlechtendal) Bocquet

Candollea 22: 22. 1967.

Common names: Arctic campion
Illustrated
Basionym: Lychnis apetala var. involucrata Chamisso & Schlechtendal Linnaea 1: 43. 1826
Synonyms: Lychnis gillettii B. Boivin
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 5. Treatment on page 187. Mentioned on page 167, 168, 188, 207, 210.

Plants perennial, sometimes with dense tufts of basal rosettes of leaves, subglabrous to pubescent and glandular; taproot slender or stout. Flowering stems several, erect, simple or branched, 10–45 cm, usually with 2–5 pairs of leaves. Leaves mainly basal, petiolate; blade narrowly oblanceolate, ± spatulate, 20–60 × 3–5(–10) mm (including petiole), glabrous to pubescent, especially on margins and abaxial veins, pubescence spreading, short, stiff, mainly eglandular. Inflorescences 1–3-flowered, open, bracteate, pubescent, usually densely so, hairs long, flexuous, purple-septate, mostly glandular; bracts narrowly lanceolate, 4–10 mm, usually pubescent. Pedicels usually several times longer than calyx. Flowers pedicellate, rarely sessile, erect, 8–16 mm diam.; calyx prominently 10-veined, not inflated or thin, campanulate or ovate, 8–20 mm, pubescent, especially on veins, rarely almost glabrous, hairs long and short purple-septate, ± glandular, veins heavily suffused with purple (rarely green), sinuses between veins pale, cream colored; petals white, often pink or purple tinged, claw equaling calyx, limb not differentiated from claw, emarginate to obovate, often 2-lobed, ca. 1/2 as long as calyx; stamens included in calyx, spreading horizontally; styles 5, included in calyx. Capsules equaling calyx, opening by 5 teeth, tardily splitting into 10. Seeds brown, winged, ± reniform to angular, 1–1.5 mm diam.; wing to 1/2 seed diam.

Distribution

V5 381-distribution-map.gif

Greenland, B.C., Man., Nfld. and Labr. (Labr.), N.W.T., Nunavut, Ont., Que., Yukon, Alaska, Asia (Russian Far East, Siberia).

Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Silene involucrata is a very variable circumpolar and arctic-alpine species complex. Many of the variants have been treated as species by earlier workers. Here, a single species with two subspecies is recognized.

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Calyx campanulate to ovoid, 10-20 mm in fruit; flowering stems sturdy, usually less than 20 cm, internodes equaling or shorter than leaves Silene involucrata subsp. involucrata
1 Calyx campanulate, 8-10(-12) mm in fruit; flowering stems slender, usually over 30 cm, internodes longer than leaves Silene involucrata subsp. tenella
... more about "Silene involucrata"
John K. Morton +
(Chamisso & Schlechtendal) Bocquet +
Lychnis apetala var. involucrata +
Arctic campion +
Greenland +, B.C. +, Man. +, Nfld. and Labr. (Labr.) +, N.W.T. +, Nunavut +, Ont. +, Que. +, Yukon +, Alaska +, Asia (Russian Far East +  and Siberia). +
Illustrated +
Lychnis gillettii +
Silene involucrata +
species +