Caryophyllaceae
Silene

Silene villosa Forssk.

First published in Fl. Aegypt.-Arab.: 88 (1775)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Sahara to SW. Israel and W. Arabian Peninsula, S. Iran to N. Central Pakistan. It is an annual and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Ghazanfar, S. A. & Edmondson, J. R (Eds). (2016) Flora of Iraq, Volume 5 Part 1: Elatinaceae to Sphenocleaceae.

Morphology General Habit
Annual, 8–25 cm tall, ± branched at base, viscid-glandular on stems and leaves
Morphology Leaves
Basal leaves few, lanceolate, soon withering; cauline leaves with 3–6 pairs, broadly linear, lanceolate to elongate-ovate, 15–45 × 2–8(–10.5) mm, obtuse, 1-nerved at base or sometimes 3-nerved
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a short, ± regular dichasium, few- to many-flowered
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel
Pedicels shorter than calyx, reflexed in fruit
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts pale green, oblong-linear or lanceolate, up to 10 mm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx subcylindrical at anthesis, ± clavate in fruit, 16–23 mm, umbilicate, weakly striate, lower part soon turning yellow, upper part pale green, glandular-pubescent; teeth ligulate, 1.7–2.6 mm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals white to reddish; limb 6–10 mm, bilobed to ¾, exserted from calyx by up to 6 mm after flowering
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Receptacle
Anthophore 9–12(–13.5) mm, glabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule oblong-cylindrical, 7–10(–11.5) × 3–4 mm, not exserted from calyx
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds ± reniform.
Ecology
Sandy deserts, on loose sand and low sand dunes, sandy waste places; alt. 50–150 m;
Phenology
Flowering: Mar.–May.
Distribution
Iraq: Found in the southern desert of Iraq. Egypt, Sinai, Arabian Peninsula, Palestine, Jordan, Iran, Pakistan.
[FIQ]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Iraq

    • Ghazanfar, S. A., Edmondson, J. R. (Eds). (2013-2019). Flora of Iraq, Volumes 5.1, 5.2 and 6.0. Kew Publishing
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images