Woodland Wildflowers - Fairy flower - Red Campion & Silene genus

Silene is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. Containing approximately 700 species, it is the largest genus in the family. Common names include campion (which is shared with the related genus Lychnis) and catchfly. Many Silene species are widely distributed, particularly in the northern hemisphere.

Silene dioica (syn. Melandrium rubrum), known as red campion.is native to northern and central Europe and is locally abundant throughout the British Isles. It is generally common in Northern Ireland, but rare elsewhere in Ireland. The plant is common on the Isle of Man where it is known as "blaa ny ferrishyn" or "fairy flower", and has a local taboo against picking it.

Red campion grows in roadsides, woodlands, and rocky slopes. It prefers to grow on damp, non-acid soils.

Plants of Silene latifolia × Silene dioica = Silene × hampeana that are fertile hybrids with the closely related white campion (Silene latifolia) are common in some areas. They may have paler pink flowers and be intermediate between the two species in other characters.

Haringey North London Tree Surgeons and Wildlife Gardening channel.

Видео Woodland Wildflowers - Fairy flower - Red Campion & Silene genus канала Haringey Trees & Gardens (from London Tree Surgeons Group)