SILENE 



CABNATION ORDER 



SILENE 253 



shorter, narrower, and blunter leaves, 

 about J in. long. The flowers are white 

 and appear from June onwards. They 

 have wedge-shaped petals with 4 blunt 

 teeth, and resemble those of S. alpestris, 

 S. quadridentata, and S. quadrifida. 

 Culture dc. as above for 8. acaulis. 



S. noctiflora. — An erect, soft, downy 

 annual 1-2 ft. high native of sandy places 

 in the British Isles. Leaves 3-4 in. long, 

 oblong lance-shaped, actite, the lower 

 ones stalked. Flowers in summer, erect, 

 open at night, fragrant. Petals rosy 

 within, yellow outside ; calyx cylindrical, 

 with 10 green nerves. 



Culture dc. as above for S. Armeria. 

 Increased by sowing seeds annually as 

 soon as ripe, or in spring out of doors. 



S. nutans (S. paradoxa). — Notting- 

 ham Catchfly. — A downy perennial with 

 a woody rootstock, native of dry places, 

 walls &c. in Britain and the Channel 

 Islands. Stems 2-3 ft. high, clammy 

 above. Lower leaves oblong lance-shaped, 

 2-5 in. long, tufted, stalked, the upper 

 ones small, narrow, without stalks. 

 Flowers from May to July, dimorphic, 

 opening and fragrant for 3 nights, 5 

 stamens ripening on each of the two first 

 nights, the styles protruding on the third. 

 Calyx tubular, swollen in the middle. 

 Petals white or pink, drooping. 



Culture dc. as above for 8. acaulis. 

 Increased by seed or division. 



S. orientalis. — A beautiful perennial 

 about 2 ft. high, native of Eastern Europe. 

 Leaves glaucous, ovate, pointed. Flowers 

 in summer, deep rose, in dense umbel- 

 like heads 3 in. across. 



Culture dc. as above for 8. acaulis. 

 Increased by seeds or division. 



S. pendula. — A downy trailing annual, 

 native of Italy and Sicily, with ovate- 

 lanoe-shaped leaves. Flowers in spring 

 and summer, flesh-coloured, pendulous ; 

 calyx swollen, petals cleft. There are 

 many varieties of this species, the best 

 known being compacta, very dwarf, 

 densely tufted, covered with beautiful 

 pink flowers in spring; compacta alba, 

 with white flowers ; ' Empress of India,' 

 ' Snow King,' ' Double Pink,' mberrima 

 and ruberrima BonnetU, and ' Zulu 

 King ' (double) are other forms worth 

 growing. 



Culture and Propagation. — This 

 Silene and its varieties grow 6-9 in. high, 



and are very popular for spring bedding, 

 especially as they soon make fine tufts, 

 and produce their pretty flowers in great 

 abundance. Seeds may be sown as soon 

 as ripe in some spare part of the garden, 

 and as soon as the beds and borders are 

 cleared of the usual summer bedding 

 plants, they may be fiUed with the young 

 Silenes. It is better to get them planted 

 at least before the middle of October, and 

 not later than the middle of September 

 for northern parts of the kingdom, as 

 otherwise they will be unable to establish 

 themselves before the frosty weather sets 

 in. By planting early, good strong tufty 

 plants will be obtained for flowering pro- 

 fusely in spring. For flowering during 

 the summer months seeds may be sown 

 in the open border in patches in April and 

 May, afterwards thinning the seedlings 

 out 6-9 in. apart. 



S. pennsylvanica {American Wild 

 Pinh). — A beautiftd downy N. American 

 perennial 4-8 in. high. Lower leaves 

 narrowly spoon-shaped, nearly smooth, 

 tapering into hairy stalks ; upper ones 

 lance-shaped. Flowers in early summer, 

 pink, clustered ; petals wedge-shaped, 

 slightly notched and jagged-edged. 



Culture dc. as above for 8. acaulis. 

 Increased by seeds and division. 



S. picta. — A pretty rush-like annual 

 1-2 ft. high, native of Asia Minor and 

 Syria, with much-branched sUghtly downy 

 stems. Lower leaves obovate spoon- 

 shaped ; upper ones linear, acute. Flowers 

 in summer, pink, loosely panicled ; calyx 

 striped, and petals veined with red. 



Culture dc. as above for 8. pendula. 

 Increased by seeds. 



S. pumilio (Pigmy Catchfly). — • A 

 beautiful densely tufted perennial, 2-3 in. 

 high, native of the Tyrol. Leaves shining 

 green, linear or spoon-shaped, somewhat 

 fleshy and blunt, and slightly downy. 

 Flowers in summer, rosy, about an inch 

 above the leaves ; calyx swollen, hairy, 

 many -nerved ; petals obcordate. 



Culture dc. as above for 8. acaulis. 

 Increased by seeds or division. 



S. pusilla. — A charming little plant, 

 closely related to 8. quadrifida. It has 

 mossy foliagOj and the white flowers are 

 produced throughout the summer months 

 on stalks 2-4 in. high. 



Culture dc. as above for 8. acaulis. 

 It flourishes in moist sandy loam with a 



