Silene seelyi

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Silene seelyi
Status TNC G2.svg
Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Genus: Silene
Species:S. seelyi
Binomial name
Silene seelyi
Morton & J.W.Thomp.

Silene seelyi is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names Seely's catchfly [1] and Seely's silene. It is endemic to Washington State in the United States, where it is limited to the Wenatchee Mountains of Chelan and Kittitas Counties. [2]

Caryophyllaceae family of plants

Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactaceae, and Polygonaceae. It is a large family, with 81 genera and about 2,625 known species.

Endemism ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location or habitat

Endemism is the ecological state of a species being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation, country or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. The extreme opposite of endemism is cosmopolitan distribution. An alternative term for a species that is endemic is precinctive, which applies to species that are restricted to a defined geographical area.

Washington (state) State of the United States of America

Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Named for George Washington, the first president of the United States, the state was made out of the western part of the Washington Territory, which was ceded by Britain in 1846 in accordance with the Oregon Treaty in the settlement of the Oregon boundary dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state in 1889. Olympia is the state capital; the state's largest city is Seattle. Washington is sometimes referred to as Washington State, to distinguish it from Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, which is often shortened to Washington.

This perennial herb grows from a taproot and branching caudex. The branching stems are up to 30 centimeters long. The thin leaves are mainly lance-shaped and measure up to 2 centimeters long. They are oppositely arranged on the stem. The inflorescence contains many leaves and a few flowers. The flowers have bell-shaped calyces of green sepals and lobed petals which may be dark red, white or purplish. [3] [4]

Perennial plant Plant that lives for more than two years

A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widely used to distinguish plants with little or no woody growth from trees and shrubs, which are also technically perennials.

Herbaceous plant Plant which has no persistent woody stem above ground

Herbaceous plants are plants that have no persistent woody stem above ground. The term is mainly applied to perennials, but in botany it may also refer to annuals or biennials, and include both forbs and graminoids.

Taproot enlarged, somewhat straight to tapering plant root that grows downward

A taproot is a large, central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout laterally. Typically a taproot is somewhat straight and very thick, is tapering in shape, and grows directly downward. In some plants, such as the carrot, the taproot is a storage organ so well developed that it has been cultivated as a vegetable.

This plant grows on cliffs. It can be found in shady crevices on steep slopes and talus. Other species in the habitat my include alumroot (Heuchera cylindrica), Chelan penstemon (Penstemon pruinosus) and Wallace's selaginella (Selaginella wallacei). [5]

Scree Broken rock fragments at the base of steep rock faces, that has accumulated through periodic rockfall

Scree is a collection of broken rock fragments at the base of crags, mountain cliffs, volcanoes or valley shoulders that has accumulated through periodic rockfall from adjacent cliff faces. Landforms associated with these materials are often called talus deposits. Talus deposits typically have a concave upwards form, while the maximum inclination corresponds to the angle of repose of the mean debris size.

<i>Heuchera cylindrica</i> species of plant

Heuchera cylindrica is a species of perennial flowering plant in the saxifrage family known by the common names poker alumroot,roundleaf alumroot, and coral bells. It is native to the western United States, where it is found in from British Columbia to California and east to Wyoming and Montana.

<i>Selaginella wallacei</i> species of plant

Selaginella wallacei is a species of spikemoss known by the common name Wallace's spikemoss. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Montana, where it can be found in many types of habitat, including open and shaded areas, and wet to dry environments. This lycophyte is variable in appearance, its form depending on the habitat it grows in. It can be spreading with many narrow branches, or a small, dense mat. The forking stems grow up to about 25 centimeters long, but may remain much shorter in dry conditions. They are lined with linear, lance-shaped, or oblong leaves up to 4 millimeters long including the bristles at the tips. The strobili containing the reproductive structures may be quite long, reaching up to 9 centimeters.

There are few threats to this species because it occurs in nearly inaccessible habitat. The main threat is rock climbers. [5] Cliffs used by climbers have fewer plants than pristine cliffs. [2]

Rock climbing sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls

Rock climbing is an activity in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Due to the length and extended endurance required and because accidents are more likely to happen on the descent than the ascent, rock climbers do not usually climb back down the route. It is very rare for a climber to downclimb, especially on the larger multiple pitches. Professional rock climbing competitions have the objectives of either completing the route in the quickest possible time or attaining the farthest point on an increasingly difficult route. Scrambling, another activity involving the scaling of hills and similar formations, is similar to rock climbing. However, rock climbing is generally differentiated by its sustained use of hands to support the climber's weight as well as to provide balance.

Related Research Articles

<i>Silene antirrhina</i> species of plant

Silene antirrhina is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names sleepy silene and sleepy catchfly. It is native to the Americas, where it is widespread throughout North America and parts of South America. It is known in Europe as an introduced species.

<i>Silene bernardina</i> species of plant

Silene bernardina is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name Palmer's catchfly.

<i>Silene campanulata</i> species of plant

Silene campanulata is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names Red Mountain catchfly and bell catchfly.

<i>Silene douglasii</i> species of plant

Silene douglasii is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name Douglas's catchfly.

<i>Silene lemmonii</i> species of plant

Silene lemmonii is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name Lemmon's catchfly.

Silene marmorensis is a rare species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names Marble Mountain catchfly, Marble Mountain campion, and Somes Bar campion. It is endemic to the southern Klamath Mountains of northern California, where it grows in mountain woodlands and forests. It is a perennial herb producing several stems and shoots from a woody, branching caudex and thick taproot. The hairy, glandular stems grow erect to a maximum height near 40 centimeters. The lance-shaped leaves are a few centimeters long and are borne in pairs, the lowermost drying early. The inflorescence is a terminal cyme of flowers at the top of the stem, and some flowers may occur in the leaf axils. Each flower has a hairy, veined calyx of fused sepals. The flowers bloom at night, the five pinkish or green-tinged petals opening at the tip of the calyx.

Silene menziesii is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names Menzies' campion and Menzies' catchfly. It is native to western North America from Alaska through the western half of Canada to the southwestern United States. It can be found in many types of habitat and it is quite common in much of its range. It is variable in morphology and there are a number of varied subtaxa. In general, it is a perennial herb growing from a caudex, appearing matlike, decumbent, or erect, with stems a few centimeters to over half a meter long. It is usually hairy in texture, with upper parts bearing sticky glandular hairs. The leaves are lance-shaped, oppositely arranged in pairs, and a few centimeters in length, upper leaves usually smaller than lower. Flowers may occur in a cyme at the top of the stem, or in leaf axils, or both. Each is encapsulated in a hairy, veined calyx of fused sepals. The petals are white with two lobes at the tips. The plant is dioecious with male and female plants producing different flowers. The male and female flower types look the same externally; the stamens are reduced in female plants and the stigmas are reduced in the male.

<i>Silene occidentalis</i> species of plant

Silene occidentalis is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names western catchfly and western campion.

<i>Silene oregana</i> species of plant

Silene oregana is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names Oregon silene, Oregon campion and Oregon catchfly. It is native to the western United States, including the Great Basin, where it grows in habitat such as sagebrush and forests. It is a perennial herb growing from a woody caudex and taproot, sending up an erect, mostly unbranched stem which may be 70 centimeters tall. The lance-shaped leaves are up to 8 centimeters long around the caudex, and shorter farther up the stem. Flowers occur in a terminal cyme and sometimes in leaf axils. Each flower is encapsulated in a hairy, glandular calyx of fused sepals. The five petals are creamy white or pink-tinged in color and each has four to six long, fringelike lobes at the tip.

<i>Silene sargentii</i> species of plant

Silene sargentii is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name Sargent's catchfly. It is native to the western United States, where it is known from the mountain ranges straddling the California-Nevada border east of the Sierra Nevada. It is also known from one disjunct occurrence in central Washington. It grows in rocky mountain habitat in subalpine and alpine climates. It is a perennial herb growing from a woody, branching caudex and taproot, sending up several decumbent or erect stems and shoots. It grows no more than about 20 centimeters tall, often taking a clumpy form. The fleshy leaves are widely lance-shaped and a few centimeters in length, most of them occurring around the caudex. Each flower is encapsulated in a hairy, glandular calyx of fused sepals which has stark purple veining. The petals are white to deep pink and each has two or more rounded or pointed lobes at the tip.

<i>Silene polypetala</i> species of plant

Silene polypetala is a rare species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names eastern fringed catchfly and fringed campion. It is native to Georgia and northern Florida in the United States. It is threatened by the loss and degradation of its habitat. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

<i>Silene spaldingii</i> species of plant

Silene spaldingii is a rare species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names Spalding's silene, Spalding's catchfly and Spalding's campion. It is native to eastern Washington, and eastern Oregon in the United States, as well as northern Idaho and northern Montana, where its distribution extends just into British Columbia, Canada. It is limited to the last remaining stretches of pristine prairie grassland in this region. It is threatened by the degradation and loss of its remaining habitat. It is federally listed as a threatened species in the United States and it is designated endangered by Canada's COSEWIC.

<i>Petrophytum cinerascens</i> species of plant

Petrophytum cinerascens is a rare species of flowering plant in the rose family known by the common names halfshrub rockmat and Chelan rockmat. It is endemic to the state of Washington in the United States, where it occurs in just a few locations along the Columbia River in Chelan and Douglas Counties.

Delphinium viridescens is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common name Wenatchee larkspur. It is endemic to central Washington state in the United States, where it occurs in the Wenatchee Mountains in Chelan and Kittitas Counties.

<i>Penstemon barrettiae</i> species of plant

Penstemon barrettiae is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common name Barrett's beardtongue. It is endemic to the Pacific Northwest of North America, where it occurs only in Washington and Oregon.

<i>Penstemon degeneri</i> species of plant

Penstemon degeneri is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common name Degener's beardtongue. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it occurs in and around the Arkansas River Canyon in Fremont, Custer, and Chaffee Counties.

<i>Penstemon gibbensii</i> species of plant

Penstemon gibbensii is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common name Gibbens' beardtongue. It is native to the western United States, where it occurs in Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah.

<i>Silene regia</i> species of plant

Silene regia is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name royal catchfly. It is native to the central United States.

<i>Penstemon acuminatus</i> species of plant

Penstemon acuminatus is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common names sharpleaf penstemon and sand-dune penstemon. It is native to the northwestern United States, where it occurs in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, and Nevada.

References

  1. "Silene seelyi". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA . Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  2. 1 2 Silene seelyi. The Nature Conservancy.
  3. Silene seelyi. Flora of North America.
  4. Silene seelyi. Washington Burke Museum.
  5. 1 2 Silene seelyi. Archived 2011-10-26 at the Wayback Machine . Center for Plant Conservation.