Mullein pink (Silene coronaria)

Synonyms: Lychnis coronaria, Agrostemma coronaria, Coronaria coriacea

Common Names: Rose campion

Description: First collected in Michigan in 1884 in Kent County.

Habit: Perennial growing up to 80 cm (31 in) tall and 45 cm (18 in) wide.

Leaves: Basal leaves covered with whitish hairs giving them a grayish to silvery green appearance, ovate to oblong-ovate in shape, toothless margins, wavy, 3-5 in. long. Flowering stem leaves are 2-4 in. long and 1/2 as much across, gradually smaller, broadly ovate to lanceolate-oblong, toothless, sessile or clasp, grayish green to silvery green and covered with hairs. Stiff, leathery texture.

Stems: Flowering stem with pairs of opposite leaves, 2-3.5 in. tall, branching, grayish green to nearly white in color, stout, covered in whitish hairs.

Flowers: Bright magenta or white in color, short-lived, solitary or in groups of 2-3, 1-1 1/4 in. across, 5 petals, partially overlapping and floppy. Bloom summer to early autumn.

Fruit and seeds: Seed capsule 0.5 in. long, ellipsoid-ovoid in shape, 5 toothed. Seeds are 1-1.5 mm. long, orbicular in shape, somewhat flattened with a rough surface.

Habitat: Native to Asia and Europe. Found in roadsides and banks, fields and clearings, open to dense deciduous forests (oak or beech-maple).

Reproduction: Root system consiting of a taproot and by reseeding.

Credits: The information provided in this factsheet was gathered from Illinoiswildflowers.info, Michigan Flora, Wikipedia.

Individual species images that appear with a number in a black box are courtesy of the Bugwood.org network (http://www.invasive.org).Individual photo author credits may not be included due to the small display size of the images and subsequent difficulty of reading the provided text. All other images appear courtesy of Google (http://images.google.com).

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