Silene ovata

Silene ovata
Silene ovata in flower
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Core eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Caryophyllaceae
Genus:	Silene
Species:	S. ovata
Binomial name
Silene ovata Pursh.

Ovate-leaved Catchfly (Silene ovata Pursh) is a herbaceous plant in the plant family Caryophyllaceae. This perennial plant grows up to 1.5 m tall and has large opposite leaves 5-12 cm long, 2-5 cm wide and numerous white flowers with an tube.^[1]

Habitat for Ovate-leaved Catchfly on the Sylamore District of the Ozark National Forest. Plants are in the middle of the photo, but occur on the adjoining bluffs and lower talus

.

Flowering

Jones lists the blooming season as from June to September.^[2]

Roadside habitat and Ovate-leaved Catchfly plant at the same location as other photos

Range

While unknown in Florida, it occurs in most of the southeastern United States from Mississippi and Arkansas (where it occurs only in eight counties in the Ozark region^[3]), north into southern Illinois and Indiana, Kentucky, and Virginia.^[4]. The plants have a limited distribution range wide as indicated by their global G3 status.

Habitat

A flora of Kentucky lists the species as occuring in "dry to mesic forests"^[2] while the flora of North Carolina lists the habitat as "rich woods."^[1]

Chromosome count

2n = 48.^[5]

Conservation status

Silene ovata is listed as G3 on the NatureServe conservation status, meaning it is vulnerable and globally rare. Typically G3 species have 21 to 100 occurrences globally, or have 3,000 to 10,000 individuals globally.

• Alabama
• Arkansas Threatened. ^[3]
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kentucky Threatened. ^[2]
• North Carolina
• Tennessee
• South Carolina
• Virginia

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Radford, A. E., H. E. Ahles, and C. R. Bell. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas, The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA, p.448
2. ^ ^{a b c} Jones, R. L. 2005. Plant Life of Kentucky: An Illustrated Guide to the Vascular Flora. The University of Kentucky Press, Lexington, Kentucky, USA, p. 320.
3. ^ ^{a b} "Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission website". Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission website. 2011. http://www.naturalheritage.com/research-data/rarespecies-search.aspx. Retrieved 2011-11-18. 
4. ^ "USDA plants website". USDA Plants Website. 2011. http://plants.usda.gov/java/nameSearch?keywordquery=silene+ovata&mode=sciname&submit.x=0&submit.y=0. Retrieved 2011-11-18. 
5. ^ Smith, E. B. 1988. An Atlas and Annotated List of the Vascular Flora of Arkansas. University of Arkansas Department of Botany, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA, p. 32.