Silene regia

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Silene regia

Family: (Caryophyllaceae)

Perennial to 3′.  Royal Catchfly.  This eye-catching plant is native to the tall grass prairies of the American Midwest; it has been found on roadsides, outcrops, pastures and other open, sunny spots.  The stems and leaves are covered with fine white hairs.  The four-inch long leaves are light to medium green, lanceolate to ovate, with a fuzzy texture and smooth edges. They occur in opposite pairs, rotating 90° degrees as they ascend the stem. Terminal panicles of scarlet, star-shaped, slender, five-petalled flowers flare abruptly outward from a long tubular, sticky, one-inch calyx.  Blooms in midsummer in our Grass Garden.  Sun and well-drained soil.  3 & T2