Silene aperta
Encyclopedia
Silene aperta is a rare species of flowering plant in the pink family
known by the common names naked catchfly and Tulare campion. It is endemic to Tulare County, California
, where it is known only from the coniferous forests of the High Sierra Nevada. It is a perennial herb growing from a woody, branching caudex
sending up several erect stems up to about 60 centimeters tall. The lower leaves are linear in shape, up to 12 centimeters long but less than one wide. Leaves higher on the stem are smaller. The flower has a hairy, tubular calyx of fused sepal
s with ten veins. The calyx is open at the top, revealing five white or yellow-green petals each 1 to 2 centimeters long.
Caryophyllaceae
The 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...
known by the common names naked catchfly and Tulare campion. It is endemic to Tulare County, California
Tulare County, California
Tulare County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, south of Fresno. Sequoia National Park is located in the county, as are part of Kings Canyon National Park, in its northeast corner , and part of Mount Whitney, on its eastern border...
, where it is known only from the coniferous forests of the High Sierra Nevada. It is a perennial herb growing from a woody, branching caudex
Caudex
A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...
sending up several erect stems up to about 60 centimeters tall. The lower leaves are linear in shape, up to 12 centimeters long but less than one wide. Leaves higher on the stem are smaller. The flower has a hairy, tubular calyx of fused sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s with ten veins. The calyx is open at the top, revealing five white or yellow-green petals each 1 to 2 centimeters long.