Fire pink | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Caryophyllales |
Family: | Caryophyllaceae |
Genus: | Silene |
Species: | S. virginica |
Binomial name | |
Silene virginica | |
Silene virginica, the fire pink, [2] is a wildflower in the pink family, Caryophyllaceae. It is known for its distinct brilliant red flowers. Fire pink begins blooming in late spring and continuing throughout the summer. It is sometimes grown in wildflower, shade, and rock gardens. [3]
S. virginica is a small, (20–80 cm (8–31 in) tall, short-lived perennial (2–3 years), with lance shaped leaves. Its stems, and the bases of the flowers, are covered in short sticky hairs. Each flower is approximately five centimeters in diameter and composed of five notched, brilliant red petals which extend into a long tube. [4]
Fire pink grows in open woods and rocky deciduous slopes in central and eastern North America, from Texas to the west, Florida to the south, New York to the east, and ranging as far north as extreme southern Ontario. [2] It is protected as a state endangered species in Wisconsin, [5] Florida, [6] and Michigan. [7] It is imperiled in Louisiana. [8]
Fire pink's principal pollinator is the ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), which is attracted by the flowers' bright red petals and sugary nectar. [9]
There are two recognized varieties of fire pink. [2] Most plants of this species are classified as Silene virginica var. virginica, however an endemic variety occurs in West Virginia called Silene virginica var. robusta.
Silene flos-cuculi, commonly called ragged-robin, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is native to Eurasia and has been introduced to North America.
Silene dioica, known as red campion and red catchfly, is a herbaceous flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to Europe and introduced to the Americas.
Mertensia virginica is a spring ephemeral plant in the Boraginaceae (borage) family with bell-shaped sky-blue flowers, native to eastern North America.
Gentiana andrewsii, the bottle gentian, closed gentian, or closed bottle gentian, is an herbaceous species of flowering plant in the gentian family Gentianaceae. Gentiana andrewsii is native to northeastern North America, from the Dakotas to the East Coast and through eastern Canada.
Asclepias purpurascens, the purple milkweed, is a herbaceous plant species. It is in the genus Asclepias, making it a type of milkweed. It is native to the Eastern, Southern and Midwestern United States similar to the range of the common milkweed. The plant gets its name from the flowers that first develop a pink color but then turn darker purple as they mature. Unlike common milkweed, purple milkweed prefers some shade and is considered a plant of partial shade. It is also considered an indicator of oak savanna, especially in Wisconsin. The species rarely produces seed pods which are smooth, instead of the rough warty ones produced by common milkweed.
Erigenia bulbosa, also known as harbinger of spring or pepper and salt, is a flowering perennial plant in the family Apiaceae. E. bulbosa is the only species in the genus Erigenia and tribe Erigenieae. This plant is known as harbinger of spring because it is one of the earliest blooming native wildflowers of rich forests in the mid-latitude United States. Throughout most of its range it blooms from late February through early April.
Geum triflorum, commonly known as prairie smoke, old man's whiskers, torchflower, three-sisters, long-plumed purple avens, lion's beard, or three-flowered avens, is a spring-blooming perennial herbaceous plant of the Rosaceae family. It is a hemiboreal continental climate species that is widespread in colder and drier environments of western North America, although it does occur in isolated populations as far east as New York and Ontario. It is particularly known for the long feathery plumes on the seed heads that have inspired many of the regional common names and aid in wind dispersal of its seeds.
Lonicera sempervirens is a flowering plant species of honeysuckle vine native to the eastern United States which is known for its reddish flowers.
Ribes aureum, known by the common names golden currant, clove currant, pruterberry and buffalo currant, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Ribes native to North America.
Silene caroliniana, the sticky catchfly or wild pink, is a spring-flowering perennial forb with pink flowers.
Silene antirrhina is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae known by the common names sleepy silene and sleepy catchfly. It is native to the Americas and has been introduced to Europe.
Silene douglasii is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae known by the common name Douglas's catchfly.
Silene salmonacea is a rare, newly described species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae known by the common names Klamath Mountain catchfly and salmon-flowered catchfly. It is known only from Trinity County, California, where it grows in the forests of the southern Klamath Mountains. It is a member of the serpentine soils flora. It is a small perennial herb growing just a few centimeters tall. The spoon-shaped leaves are up to 3.5 centimeters long. The herbage is gray-green and lightly woolly in texture. Each flower has a tubular calyx of fused sepals lined with ten veins. There are five salmon pink petals, each with four lobes at the tip.
Silene noctiflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae known by the common names night-flowering catchfly, nightflowering silene and clammy cockle. It is native to Eurasia, but it is known on other continents as an introduced species and sometimes a weed. In North America, it is a common weed of grain crops in the Canadian prairie provinces and in much of the United States. It grows in fields and in other disturbed habitat.
Silene polypetala is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae 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 suitable habitat. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.
Silene regia is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae known by the common name royal catchfly. It is native to the central United States. A perennial herb, it grows from a fleshy taproot and has several erect stems growing up to 1.6 meters tall. The leaves are lance-shaped to oval and up to 12 centimeters (4.7 in) long, becoming smaller farther up the stem. The inflorescence is an array of many flowers at the top of the stem. The elongate tubular calyx of sepals is up to 2.5 centimeters (0.98 in) long and has 10 longitudinal veins. The lobes of the bright red corolla are 1 to 2 centimeters long.
Rhexia virginica, the handsome Harry or Virginia meadow-beauty, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melastomataceae. It is native to much of eastern North America, and is often found in moist, often acidic soils in open areas.
Lespedeza virginica, known as slender bush clover or slender lespedeza, is a species of flowering plant native to much of the United States, as well as Ontario, Canada, and Nuevo León, Mexico. It is a member of the bean family, Fabaceae.
Verbena stricta, also known as hoary verbena or hoary vervain, is a small purple wildflower native to a large region of the central United States.
Bartonia virginica is species of flowering plant in Gentianaceae. It is the commonly called yellow screwstem or yellow bartonia and it is an annual species with small pale green to yellow flowers.