Family |
Caryophyllaceae
Silene pharnaceifolia
Fenzl
Leb. Tur.
Silene pharnaceifolia Fenzl
First published in Pug. Pl. Nov. Syr.: 9 (1842).
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 1, p. 498, Pl. CLXX, 6; 1966)
Description
Life-form & habit: Tufted perennial, 10–20 cm tall, with a thickened, somewhat woody base, short branches and slender, low, sparsely branched flowering stems.
Leaves: Linear to awl-shaped, blunt and more or less rolled inward, densely covered with long hairs near the base. Stem leaves are slightly hairy, with a narrow membranous margin.
Inflorescence & flowers: Hairless stems bear flower stalks often longer than the calyx, sometimes much longer. The finely hairy, reddish calyx is 4–6 mm long, inversely conical to bell-shaped, with reddish veins and blunt, bordered teeth. Petal blades are inversely heart-shaped and divided into two lobes; the crown has obovate, sometimes irregular-edged scales.
Fruit: Ovate capsule on a very short supporting stalk.
Flowering and habitat
Phenology: Mouterde cites June collections; no full flowering period is specified.
Distribution
Lebanese distribution: Jourd Hasroun and above the Cedars in Mouterde; Tannourine in the recorded locations.
Native range: Lebanon-Syria, Türkiye.