| Silene verecunda | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Caryophyllaceae |
| Genus: | Silene |
| Species: | S. verecunda |
| Binomial name | |
| Silene verecunda | |
Silene verecunda is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae known by the common name San Francisco campion. [1]
It is native to western North America, particularly California and Baja California, as well as Nevada and Utah. It grows in a number of habitat types, from coastline to high alpine mountain slopes, and including chaparral, woodlands, and meadows.
Silene verecunda is an extremely variable plant. In general, it is a perennial herb growing 10 centimeters to over half a meter tall, usually with several erect stems. It is hairy, and usually glandular and sticky in texture. The lance-shaped leaves are variable in size, the largest ones usually growing at the caudex.
Each flower is encapsulated in a tubular calyx of fused sepals which is lined with ten veins. The petals are white or pink and have two lobes in their tips and two appendages at their bases.