SILENE ROTUNDIFOLIA
Nutt.
Round-leaved Catchfly
FAMILY: Caryophyllaceae
HABIT: Branched, decumbent herbaceous perennial, 2-7 dm.;
from a caudex on a taproot; flowering July-September.
SIMILAR SPECIES: Only two other Ohio Silene species have
bright scarlet flowers like S. rotundifolia: S. virginiana and S.
regia. S. rotundifolia is short (to
7 dm.) with weak, branched, and decumbent stems. Flower petals are bilobed and
cauline leaves are few (to 8 pr. ) and broadly lanceolate to suborbicular. S.
virginiana is taller (to 8 dm.) with weak stems. Flower petals are bilobed
and cauline leaves are more numerous (to 15 pr.) and narrowly oblanceolate. S.
regia is tall (to 15 dm.), erect, and mostly unbranched. Flower petals are
rounded and cauline leaves are many (15-20 pr.), round- based, and sessile.
TOTAL RANGE: WV and s. OH to AL and GA.
STATE RANGE: There are post-1960 collections from 4 counties
of south- central Ohio: Hocking, Jackson, Pike, and Ross.
STATE STATUS: 1980-1987: Threatened, 1988 to present:
Potentially Threatened.
HABITAT: Crevices and talus of exposed siliceous cliffs and
banks.
HAZARDS: Overshading as forest canopy closes, casual
picking, soil compaction.
RECOVERY POTENTIAL: Unknown, possibly poor due to limited habitat.
However, populations are known to recover if area is closed to visitors.
INVENTORY GUIDELINES: Collect mature flowering material.
Collect aboveground parts only; leave caudex and taproot in ground.
COMMENTS: When in bloom, this species is easily seen, though
its occurrence in niches of rock faces makes collecting difficult. The state
range probably is accurately known. Because of its scarlet flowers, it has been
suggested that S. rotundifolia is closely related to S. virginiana.
The two will form hybrids, but these are sterile. S. virginiana does,
however, form fertile hybrids with S. caroliniana. This indicates that S.
rotundifolia is further removed from S. virginiana than other
species that do not have the scarlet flowers.
SELECTED REFERENCES:
Hitchcock, C.L. and B. Maguire. 1947. A revision of the
North American species of Silene. Univ. Wash. Pub. Bio. 13: 1-73.
Kruckeberg, A.R. 1964. Artificial crosses involving
eastern North American Silenes. Brittonia 16: 95-105.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Division of Natural Areas and Preserves
Created: 1/1984 David P. Emmitt
Database Code: SPJN.670