Silene csereii
 
Smooth Catchfly

Flower Side, Stage 1

North of Hudson Bay off of Highway 9
18-July-2020

Each of the five petals is deeply cleft. Only three of the ten stamens are exserted at this stage and none of the three styles are visible.

Note that Budd's Flora recognized two related genera - Silene and Lychnis. Today Lychnis is subsumed in a larger Silene. Therefore the answers separating Silene from Lychnis have been removed from the answers leading to the genus and added to the answers leading to the species.

Csereii: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora leading to this species.

styles usually 3; NOT [styles 5]

capsule usually divided into partitions at base; NOT [capsule1-celled to base]

annual or biennial plants; NOT [perennial plants]

plants not sticky; NOT [plants sticky, at least around the nodes of the stem]

 

Silene: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta leading to this genus. 

plants NOT with woody base

calyx without bracts; NOT [calyx with 1-3 pairs of bracts below]

sepals united part way, forming a tube; NOT [sepals entirely separate]

lobes of sepals NOT over 20 mm long; NOT [sepals with long, leaf-like lobes, over 20 mm long]

petals usually present; NOT [petals absent]

petals clawed; NOT [petals lacking claws]

styles 3-5; NOT [styles 2]

styles alternate with the petals; NOT [styles opposite the petals]

ovary stipitate

fruit dehiscent; NOT [fruit indehiscent]

fruit several-seeded; NOT [fruit 1-seeded]

 

Caryophyllaceae: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora leading to this family. 

herbs; NOT [shrubs or trees]

plants terrestrial or semiaquatic; NOT [plants aquatic, leaves submerged or floating]

terrestrial plants; NOT [mud plants with small axillary flowers]

plants NOT with colored milky juice

plants with more than one normal leaf

leaves opposite, whorled, or basal; NOT [some or all leaves alternate]

leaves NOT glandular-dotted

plants without large petal-like bracts; NOT [plants with an involucre of 4 petal-like bracts]

flowers with two floral rings, and with each petal distinct from the others

sepals more than 2; NOT [sepals 2]

stamens NOT united at base; NOT [stamens united at base into 3-5 bundles]

styles 2 or more; NOT [styles single]