About Silene flos-cuculi (L.) Greuter & Burdet
Silene flos-cuculi grows a low-lying foliage rosette, and produces numerous stems that reach 30 to 90 centimetres (12 to 35 and a half inches) in height. Stems grow above the foliage and branch near their upper end. Leaves grow in paired arrangements; lower leaves are spoon-shaped and stalked. Middle and upper leaves are linear-lanceolate with pointed tips. All leaves have untoothed edges. Stems are covered in downward-pointing barbed hairs, which give the plant a rough texture when touched. This plant blooms from May to August, and occasionally blooms later. Its pink flowers are 3 to 4 cm (1.2 to 1.6 in) wide. Flowers have five narrow petals that are deeply divided into four lobes, which gives the flower an untidy, ragged look — the source of its common name. The calyx tube has five teeth, and the flower holds ten stamens and five styles. Fruits are small capsules that measure 6 to 10 mm, open at the top through five teeth, and contain many small seeds. Fruits appear on plants starting in August. This species is native to Europe and Asia, where it grows along roadsides, and in wet meadows and pastures. It has become naturalized in parts of the northern United States and eastern Canada. Butterflies and long-tongued bees feed on nectar from Silene flos-cuculi flowers. Along with these pollinators, the flowers are visited by many other insect types, so the species has a generalized pollination syndrome. In Britain, populations of this plant have declined due to modern farming practices and wetland drainage, and it is no longer a common species. Several popular garden cultivars exist: 'Alba', a white-flowered form; Jenny (also called 'Lychjen'); 'Nana', a dwarf form that reaches 4 inches tall, with smaller leaf rosettes and shorter flower stems; 'Petite Jenny'; and 'White Robin'.
