Family |
Caryophyllaceae
Silene reuteriana
Boiss. & C. I. Blanche
Endemic to Lebanon
Silene reuteriana Boiss. & C.I.Blanche
First published in P.E.Boissier, Diagn. Pl. Orient., ser. 2, 5: 54 (1856).
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 1, p. 489, Pl. CLXIV, 4; 1966)
Description
Life-form & habit: Erect, hairless, glaucous herb, 60–120 cm tall, very sticky and often marked with black adhesive patches. Stems are more or less branched.
Leaves: Numerous short, spatulate-lanceolate leaves form a basal rosette; stem leaves are linear and upright.
Inflorescence & flowers: A panicle with terminal cymes of tightly clustered, stalkless flowers, usually 3–20 or more together. The calyx is hairless with relatively faint veins and short oval teeth. Showy, vivid purplish-pink petal blades are divided into two lobes; the crown has linear scales.
Fruit: Oblong capsule shorter than its supporting stalk. Small, slightly rough seeds have flat faces and a grooved back.
Flowering and habitat
Phenology: Flowering June–August.
Habitat & elevation: Iron-rich sandstone.
Distribution
Lebanese distribution: Bikfaya, Mrouj, Choueir, Salima, Mayrouba, Faraya, Baskinta, Ain Zehalta, Falougha, Zahle pass, Ain el Asafir, Ain Hechaira, Kfertay, Bqaatouta and Sannine.
Native range: Lebanon, according to Kew's accepted Atocion reuterianum record; listed within its Lebanon-Syria geographical unit.
⚠️ Taxonomic note:
Kew treats Silene reuteriana as a synonym of Atocion reuterianum (Boiss. & C.I.Blanche) Frajman, first published in Taxon 58: 822 (2009). Mouterde calls the plant endemic, consistent with Kew's Lebanon-only range statement. Its Lebanese endemic status requires further corroboration.