silene species needs identification

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Plant Identification

This plant germinated quickly from a package of NARGS seed labelled Frasera! I like it's simple style and colour and would like to offer seed.

Comments

Middleton's picture

Middleton (not verified)

Wed, 02/17/2010 - 12:08pm

Thank you Todd.  Always  curious as to how seed strays.  I have a perennial silene far away from this spot and I don't collect seed from it.  So I assume it must have been in the package of Frasera. 
I won't be offering this annual to the exchanges of course!
Sharon

Panayoti Kelaidis's picture

Panayoti Kelaidis

Wed, 02/17/2010 - 9:01pm

I don't think it's Silene armeria, Todd: the color is too pale (armeria is usually magenta) and the flowers even more clustered, and the foliage darker. This has a basal rosette, indicating it could be at least biennial. We shall have to crack open our Silene handbook by Jim Jones: I'll bet it will help!

Todd Boland's picture

Todd Boland

Sat, 02/20/2010 - 11:26am

I didn't think the rosette leaves in the upper right corner were from the Silene.  I'm still not convinced it is.  The picture is a little blurry but I thought the bare stem rising from the lower right side was from the plant.  If so, it looks annual to me.  Looking in Jone's book, I see no Silene that match.  Armeria is closest but I agree the colour is a bit pale.  I cannot even see any clean foiage in the pic to use that as a help since armeria has such distinctly-coloured foliage.