2490.000 Silene L. - Catchflies

Herbs or shrublets. Stipules 0. Leaves opposite. Sepals united to form a tubular or dilated calyx which is 5-toothed with 10 principal veins. Flowers unisexual or bisexual. Petals 5, with a long narrow claw and a dilated, 2-fid or simple lamina, often with scales at the base of the lamina. Stamens 10. Styles 3 (in ours). Capsule many-seeded, opening from the apex by 3 or 6 teeth or valves. Seeds numerous.

Derivation of name: From the Greek word, saliva, referring to the stickiness of the stems and calyx in some species

Worldwide: c.700 species, northern hemisphere, especially the Balkan Peninsula and SW Asia.

Zimbabwe: 3 cultivated taxa.