Red Campion
Silene dioica
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Male and female flowers on separate plants — and only the females make seed.
An upright, softly hairy perennial with paired oval leaves and bright rose-pink five-petalled flowers, each petal notched at the tip and set in an inflated ribbed calyx. Red campion is common along hedge banks, woodland edge, verges and shady lanes around Dumfries, often flowering alongside bluebells early on and continuing well into autumn.
Behaviour
The species is dioecious: male and female flowers grow on separate plants, so only some individuals produce the swollen seed capsules. Flowers are visited by long-tongued bees, butterflies and, at dusk, by moths. Where it meets white campion the two hybridise freely, producing pale pink intermediates that can be confusing in a hedgerow.
When to see it
Quick facts
- Family
- Pinks (Caryophyllaceae)
- Height
- 30–90 cm
- Status
- Native; common on banks and woodland edge
Photo by J. Patrick Fischer, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons