Silene virginica

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Silene virginica

Family: (Caryophyllaceae)

(P) to 18″.  Fire Pink.  Eastern North America.  A lovely wildflower that features brilliant, two-inch, scarlet red flowers, each with five spreading, notched-at-the-tip petals plus sepals which are united into a long sticky tube. Flowers bloom in spring atop slender, downy, and sticky stems clad with narrow, lance-shaped, green leaves. Ruby-throated hummingbirds are the principal pollinator of Silene virginica.  Flowers also provide nectar for native bees, butterflies, and nocturnal moths. Well-drained soil.  Part sun to part shade. 3 & T2