Common name: Dusky Salmon, Burning Love, Flower of Bristol, Maltese-Cross, Jerusalem Cross, Nonesuch
Silene chalcedonica (L.) E.H.L.Krause APNI* Synonyms: Lychnis chalcedonica L. APNI*
Description: Perennial herb covered with long, spreading to appressed, multicellular hairs.
Leaves ovate, mostly 2–4 cm long, 3–10 mm wide, apex acute, margins mostly entire, scabrous to sparsely hairy with ciliate margins.
Flowers in dense terminal heads; pedicels c. 5 mm long. Calyx cylindrical, 12–14 mm long, with spreading to appressed multicellular hairs. Petals 15–20 mm long, distinctly longer than the sepals, scarlet; limb bifid for a third of its length.
Capsule ovoid, longer than the calyx; gynophore 4–6 mm long.
Flowering: summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Often cultivated as an ornamental; rarely naturalized, recorded from the Bowral district. Native of Eur.
NSW subdivisions: *CT
Text by A. Doust (1990, as Lychnis chalcedonica); edited KL Wilson (Nov 2014) Taxon concept: D. Mabberley (1999)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data ***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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