Silene coronaria
Common name
rose campion
Synonyms
Agrostemma coronaria L., Lychnis coronaria (L.) Desr.
Family
Caryophyllaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
SILCOR
Conservation status
Not applicable
Features
A clump forming perennial. The whole plant is densely covered in long woolly silvery hairs. Flowering stems erect 30 - 100cm tall. Lower leaves are loosely tufted and oblanceolate in shape tapering to long stalk; 10-25cm long by 2-4 cm wide. Purplish pink or white, flowers are borne in panicles on branching grey stems between December and February.
Similar taxa
Woolly silvery hairs distinguish rose campion from other Silene spp. in N.Z. (Webb et al. 1988)
Flower colours
Red/Pink, Violet/Purple, White
Year naturalised
1878
Origin
S.E. and C. Europe, N.W. Africa, Asia Minor
Reason for introduction
Ornamental