Family |
Caryophyllaceae
Silene odontopetala
Fenzl
Silene odontopetala Fenzl
First published in Pug. Pl. Nov. Syr.: 9 (1842).
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 1, p. 500, Pl. CLXXI, 5; 1966)
Description
Life-form & habit: Perennial with a sometimes woody stock. Leafy stems, 13–40 cm tall, simple or sparsely branched, densely covered with glandular hairs.
Leaves: Variable in size and shape, from lanceolate to broadly oval or nearly spatulate, blunt or somewhat pointed, usually ending in a small point.
Inflorescence & flowers: Flowers solitary or in short, mainly terminal cymes of up to seven. The whitish, bell-shaped calyx is often expanded, with short, pointed triangular teeth. Petal blades are white or pink, shallowly lobed and often with an additional tooth; the crown has blunt oval lobes.
Fruit: Ovate capsule shorter than the calyx and two to three times as long as its supporting stalk. Seeds have pointed tubercles.
Flowering and habitat
Phenology: Flowering July–August.
Habitat & elevation: Rocks, especially in high mountains.
Distribution
Lebanese distribution: Faraya, Jisr el Hajar, Jabal Kneisse, Jabal Sannine and Mount Hermon.
Syrian distribution: Wadi el Qarn, Yabroud, Jabal Halime, Dahr Abou el Hin and above Zebdani.
Native range: Iran, Iraq, Lebanon-Syria, Sinai, Transcaucasus, Türkiye.