Silene dioica, Red Campion

Common Name: Red Campion

Silene dioica, more commonly known as Red Campion, is a herbaceous biennial or perennial plant, with dark pink to red flowers, each 1.8-2.5 cm across. There are five petals which are deeply notched at the end, narrowed at the base and all go into an urn-shaped calyx. It flowers from May to October.

The plant grows to 30-90 cm, with branching stems. The deep green leaves are in opposite pairs, simple acute ovate, 3-8 cm long with an untoothed margin; both the leaves and stems of the plant are hairy and slightly sticky. Male and female flowers are born on separate plants.

Found in roadsides, woodlands, and rocky slopes. It prefers to grow on damp, non-acid soils. Plants with very pale pink flowers are hybrids with the closely related White Campion (S. latifolia). Silene dioica is native and locally abundant through the UK.

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