Question: I am confused about the field marks that distinguish Silene cucubalus from Silene latifolia. I do not find the latter …
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Question
I am confused about the field marks that distinguish Silene cucubalus from Silene latifolia. I do not find the latter in my field guides, even under the name Melandrium album. The first photo shows cucubalus (?) in Brattleboro, VT; the next three, latifolia (?) in Burlington, VT. The last photo seems to be a pink variant of the previous three, growing on the grounds of Keene State College in Keene, NH.
Answer
DavidBlair, good afternoon. The two are not difficult to distinguish once the characters are known. Silene latifolia has a conspicuously pubescent calyx and flowers with 5 (carpellate) or 1 (staminate) styles. Silene vulgaris (synonym: S. cucubalus) has flowers with a glabrous calyx and 3 styles. The red-flowered species may be Silene dioica (red campion), most of the other images appear to be Silene latifolia (none are Silene vulgaris). I hope this helps.
