Silene menziesii
Synonyms: Anotites menziesii, Anotites viscosa, Silene menziesii ssp. menziesii, Silene menziesii ssp. menziesii var. menziesii, Silene menziesii ssp. menziesii var. viscosa, Silene menziesii var. menziesii, Silene menziesii var. viscosa, Silene obovata
The
photo at right shows the upper stem leaves and flower of Menzie's silene as seen
at Blue Sky, Hart Mt. National Antelope Refuge in southeastern Lake County, OR.................June
25, 2003.
Menzie's silene is a decumbent to ascending perennial with one to multiple stems arising from slender rootstocks. The stems range from 5-30 cm long and are either covered with soft, short hairs or coarser, stiffer hairs. The upper stems are often somewhat glandular sticky. The numerous leaves are not reduced upwards on the stem, and they are opposite on the stems. Individual leaves are lanceolate to ovate in outline and measure 3-6 cm long and 3-15 mm wide.
The one to several flowers are in small leafy-bracted cymes on slender pedicels. The calyx is a 10-nerved tubular bell from 5-8 mm long. The triangular calyx lobes are each about half as long as the tube. Each of the 5 white petals is about 2-3 mm longer than the calyx tube and cleft into 2 lobes at the tip, the cleft about 1/2 to 3/5 the length. Each petal is glabrous and rounded-oblong in outline.
Menzie's silene is no longer split into 2 varieties, the variety menziesii and the variety viscosa.
Menzie's silene may be found in dry openings with sagebrush, under aspen, or under conifers.
Menzie's silene may be found from southern British Columbia and southern Vancouver island east to Alberta and south in the Cascades to southern California and south in the Rocky Mts. to New Mexico.
