Douglas' Catchfly, Douglas' Campion, Douglas' Silene: Silene douglasii var. douglasii (Synonyms: Silene douglasii var. monantha, Silene douglasii var. villosa, Silene lyallii)

Douglas' campion is a tufted perennial with a woody base arising from stout woody rootstocks. The simple stems are decumbent to erect, measuring 20-40 cm long. The herbage of the leaves and stems consists of dense, curly and downward pointing hairs. It is rare that plants are glandular. The leaves are typically at the base of the stems and on the new stems. The lower leaves have long, tapering petioles and are narrowly to broadly oblanceolate or linear-lanceolate, measuring from 2.5-5 cm long and 2-7 mm wide. The 1-8 pairs of stem leaves are linear, reduced in size, and becoming sessile upwards on the stem.

The inflorescence usually consists of 3-flowered cymes (sometimes 1-7 flowers) on long pedicels. The cylindrical calyx is 1-1.5 cm long with short, rounded lobes with broad membranous margins that are often flexed inwards. The calyx is 10-nerved and becomes inflated in fruit. It is often covered with numerous fine, short hairs or may be glabrous. It is rarely glandular. The white, greenish-white to pinkish or purplish petals are exserted from the calyx from 6-9 mm. The blades of the petals are 2-lobed 1/5-1/3 their length but entire the rest of their length (occasionally with a small lateral tooth on each margin below the sinus).

Douglas' campion may be found amongst sagebrush in the plains to dry woods in the foothills and on alpine slopes in the mountains.

Douglas' campion may be found from southern British Columbia south through the Cascade Mts. to the Sierra Nevada of central California. It is found eastward through Washington and Oregon to western Montana, northern Nevada and Utah. It is also found in the Olympic Mts. of Washington.

The photo above shows various views of Douglas' campion as seen on steep prairie slopes above the Imnaha River at the Five Mile Viewpoint along Hat Pt. Road in the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area..........June 26, 2007. Note the lack of any small lateral lobes at the base of each petal, which helps identify this species.

The photo at left shows Douglas' campion as seen on steep prairie slopes above the Imnaha River at the Five Mile Viewpoint along Hat Pt. Road in the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area..........June 26, 2007. The photo at right shows a close-up of the calyx tubes of Douglas' campion as observed along FS Road 3910 in the Bald Hills, Mt. Bidwell Recreation Area, Fremont-Winema National Forest.......July 31, 2020.

Douglas' campion as seen along the North Loop Road about one mile downhill from the Kiger Gorge Overlook, Steens Mountain, Harney County, Oregon..........August 31, 2011.

The two photos at left and center show close-ups of the hairy calyx and paired upper stem leaves and bracts of Douglas' campion as seen near the summit of Simcoe Butte in northern Klickitat County, south-central Washington.........June 16, 2007. The photo at right shows a close-up of the calyx and petals of Douglas' campion as seen at about the 4 mile post along the East Fork Lostine River Trail #1662, Eagle Cap Wilderness.........August 4, 2016.

Examples of Douglas' campion as seen at 9000' near the summit of Strawberry Mountain, Strawberry Mountain Wilderness.........August 19, 2011.

Several robust examples of Douglas' campion as seen at about 9300' at the head of the Little Blitzen Gorge, Steens Mountain, Harney County, Oregon.........September 1, 2011.

Douglas' campion as seen atop Pine Mountain to the east of Bend, Oregon, Deschutes National Forest.........July 11, 2017.

Douglas' campion observed at the summit of Crane Mountain, Fremont-Winema National Forest.......August 1, 2020.

The photo above shows the erect, unbranched stems of Douglas' campion as seen on the rocky slopes of Steptoe Butte.