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FOC | Family List | FOC Vol. 6 | Caryophyllaceae

21. Silene Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 416. 1753.

蝇子草属 ying zi cao shu

Zhou Lihua; Magnus Lidén, Bengt Oxelman

Cucubalus Linnaeus; Elisanthe (Fenzl) Reichenbach; Gastrolychnis (Fenzl) Reichenbach; Melandrium Röhling; Otites Adanson; Physolychnis (Bentham) Ruprecht; Pleconax Adanson; Viscago Zinn.

Herbs annual, biennial, or perennial, rarely plants suffrutescent. Stems erect, ascending, or creeping. Leaves subulate, linear or lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, or elliptic. Flowers bisexual or unisexual; male-sterile flowers frequent in otherwise hermaphroditic plants. Male-sterile flowers often have markedly shorter androgynophores and petal limbs than hermaphroditic flowers. Inflorescence a monochasium, dichasium, thyrse or flower solitary. Calyx tubular, funnel-shaped, campanulate, or ovoid, usually 10-veined, with 5 teeth with ciliate membranous margin; the form of this margin usually varies between teeth in a single calyx. Petals 5, each with a sometimes auriculate claw; limb entire, bifid, 4-fid, or laciniate, variously colored; coronal scales present. Androgynophore ± conspicuous. Stamens 10. Ovary usually with 3 or 5 basal septa; ovules numerous; styles 3 or 5. The protrusion of stamens and styles from calyx mouth are correlated in perfect flowers. Fruit usually a capsule dehiscing with 6 or 10, rarely 5, teeth. Seeds reniform, minute, ± tuberculate, sometimes with abaxial spinose processes or a marginal wing.

About 600 species: mainly in N temperate regions, but also in Africa and South America; 110 species (67 endemic) in China.

Two species are cultivated in China for their attractive flowers, including Silene pendula Linnaeus and S. gallica Linnaeus.

The phylogenetic relationships within Silene are currently under investigation, clearly showing deficiencies in recent subgeneric classifications. Therefore, we refrain from using any formal ranks between genus and species. However, 59 of the 110 species of Silene in China can be attributed to one of three informal groups that approximately correspond to Silene sect. Cucubaloideae Edgeworth & J. D. Hooker, S. sect. Odontopetalae Schischkin ex Chowdhuri, and S. sect. Physolychnis (Bentham) Bocquet. As circumscribed here, the “Cucubaloideae” group is probably monophyletic (characterized by ± creeping habit and fleshy, fasciculate root tubers). However, the character used (carpel number) to distinguish the “Odontopetalae” and “Physolychnis” groups almost certainly results in a paraphyletic “Odontopetalae” group. Moreover, it is probable that the transformation between three and five carpels has occurred more than once in these groups. Nevertheless, we believe that keying out these informal groups separately will aid in identifying species in China.

Much taxonomic research is still needed at the species level, and we have tried to highlight the most obvious, serious problems. We found it impossible to infer the identity of the taxon pertaining to Melandrium chailaricum A. I. Baranov & Skvortsov (Quart. J. Taiwan Mus. 19: 158. 1966).


Key 1 (main key, species nos. 1--51)

1 Calyx with 30 veins   48 S. conoidea
+ Calyx with 10, rarely 20 veins.   (2)
       
2 (1) Calyx with 20 veins, at least at base.   (3)
+ Calyx with 10 veins.   (4)
       
3 (2) Flowers female; plants green, pubescent   46 S. latifolia
+ Flowers bisexual; plants glaucous, glabrous   32 S. vulgaris
       
4 (2) Fruit a black pseudoberry, irregularly dehiscent   33 S. baccifera
+ Fruit a capsule dehiscing by teeth.   (5)
       
5 (4) Styles 5.   (6)
+ Styles 3.   (8)
       
6 (5) Flowers unisexual (plants dioecious)   46 S. latifolia
+ Flowers bisexual or plants gynomonoecious.   (7)
       
7 (6) Calyx funnel-shaped in flower; flowers in ± regular terminal dichasia   1 S. linnaeana
+ Calyx tubular or campanulate in flower; inflorescence an irregular thyrse composed of unequal cymules, or flower solitary   (5)
       
8 (5) Petals (including limb) together forming a short tube exserted beyond calyx by 1--3 mm   49 S. tubulosa
+ Petal limbs not forming a tube.   (9)
       
9 (8) Leaves petiolate throughout, usually ± cordate.   (10)
+ At least distal leaves not petiolate, not cordate.   (12)
       
10 (9) Cyme capitate   38 S. capitata
+ Cymes not capitate.   (11)
       
11 (10) Leaves ovate to lanceolate; petal limbs bifid   39 S. seoulensis
+ Leaves broadly ovate or suborbicular; petal limbs 4-lobed   40 S. qiyunshanensis
       
12 (9) Seeds with a rim of long protuberances or winged abaxially; flowers 1 to few.   (13)
+ Seeds without long marginal protuberances or wings.   (19)
       
13 (12) Seeds with an entire marginal wing.   (14)
+ Seeds with a rim of spinulose protuberances.   (15)
       
14 (14) Plants perennial   (14)
+ Plants annual   45 S. nana
       
15 (15) Flowers in an irregular thyrse, or solitary; petaline claws auriculate   (15)
+ Flowers in terminal lax, regular dichasia; petaline claws not auriculate.   (16)
       
16 (15) Leaves lanceolate   41 S. salicifolia
+ Leaves linear.   (17)
       
17 (16) Calyx narrowly tubular   44 S. tubiformis
+ Calyx campanulate.   (18)
       
18 (17) Leaves 2--3.5 cm; flowers solitary; petals white   42 S. morrisonmontana
+ Leaves 5--8 cm; usually more than one flower in each cyme; petals pale red   43 S. hupehensis
       
19 (12) Flowers in terminal dichasia or monochasia, or solitary.   (20)
+ Inflorescence a regular or irregular thyrse composed of dichasial or 1-flowered cymules.   (27)
       
20 (19) Plants annual or biennial   47 S. noctiflora
+ Plants perennial.   (21)
       
21 (20) Cushion- or mat-forming herbs, usually less than 10 cm tall; leaves small, 1--3 mm wide; flower solitary.   (22)
+ Plants taller, not forming cushions; leaves broader; 1- to many flowered.   (23)
       
22 (21) Leaves glabrous except for marginal cilia   50 S. davidii
+ Plants hairy throughout   51 S. gracilenta
       
23 (23) Roots fleshy, fasciculate; inflorescence a many-flowered dichasium   (23)
+ Roots not as above; inflorescence 1--3-flowered.   (24)
       
24 (23) Androgynophore pubescent.   (25)
+ Androgynophore glabrous.   (26)
       
25 (24) Calyx 2--2.5 cm; androgynophore 8--10 mm   35 S. incurvifolia
+ Calyx 1--1.8 cm; androgynophore 3--6 mm   34 S. subcretacea
       
26 (24) Basal rosettelike clusters of sterile shoots absent; calyx ca. 2 cm or more   36 S. moorcroftiana
+ Basal rosettelike clusters of sterile shoots present; calyx less than 2 cm   37 S. karaczukuri
       
27 (19) Flowers unisexual (plants dioecious); calyx less than 6 mm; plants biennial.   (28)
+ Flowers bisexual; calyx usually longer than 6 mm; plants annual, biennial, or perennial.   (30)
       
28 (27) Calyx 4--6 mm; petals greenish   29 S. otites
+ Calyx 2--3.5 mm; petals white.   (29)
       
29 (28) Calyx hairy; petaline claws and filaments hairy   30 S. borysthenica
+ Calyx glabrous; petaline claws and filaments glabrous   31 S. wolgensis
       
30 (27) Plants annual or biennial.   (31)
+ Plants perennial.   (36)
       
31 (30) Calyx tubular in flower; cymules 1-flowered.   (32)
+ Calyx ovoid-campanulate; cymules many flowered.   (33)
       
32 (31) Petals 4-lobed   24 S. quadriloba
+ Petals with numerous lobes   25 S. suaveolens
       
33 (31) Stamens and styles exserted   15 S. koreana
+ Stamens and styles included.   (34)
       
34 (33) Androgynophore glabrous; stalks of cymules very short   26 S. firma
+ Androgynophore hairy; at least proximal cymules with prominent stalks, ca. as long as or longer than pedicels.   (35)
       
35 (34) Calyx densely glandular hairy   28 S. orientalimongolica
+ Calyx not glandular hairy   27 S. aprica
       
36 (36) Cymules very unequal; basal rosette of large broad leaves usually present   (36)
+ Cymules ± equal, forming a ± symmetric thyrse; basal rosette of large broad leaves usually absent.   (37)
       
37 (36) Cymules densely clustered; thyrse appearing capitate   6 S. pseudofortunei
+ Cymules clearly separated; thyrse appearing paniculate or racemose.   (38)
       
38 (37) Cymules long stalked, thyrse appearing paniculate; petals usually pink.   (39)
+ Cymules shortly stalked, thyrse appearing racemose at least distally; petals white or yellowish white.   (43)
       
39 (39) Calyx shorter than 1.2 cm   (39)
+ Calyx at least 1.2 cm.   (40)
       
40 (39) Petal limbs bifid, lobes entire or erose.   (41)
+ Petal limbs bifid, lobes multifid or laciniate   5 S. fortunei
       
41 (40) Calyx less than 1.8 cm; leaves oblanceolate   2 S. esquamata
+ Calyx more than 2.5 cm; leaves linear or linear-lanceolate.   (42)
       
42 (41) Petal lobes entire   3 S. dawoensis
+ Petal lobes erose   4 S. incisa
       
43 (38) Basal leaves caespitose, not withered at anthesis; cauline leaves few, without axillary sterile short shoots.   (44)
+ Basal leaves withered at anthesis; cauline leaves many, with axillary sterile short shoots.   (47)
       
44 (43) At least some cymules with more than 1 flower   20 S. jenisseensis
+ Cymules very rarely with more than 1 flower.   (45)
       
45 (44) Petal auricles ciliate   21 S. graminifolia
+ Petal auricles not ciliate.   (46)
       
46 (45) Plants 10--20 cm tall, villous; leaves 3--6 cm; calyx 1.5--1.7 cm, hairy at veins   23 S. dumetosa
+ Plants 20--50 cm, glabrous; leaves 6--18 cm; calyx less than 1.2 cm (1.5--1.8 cm in var. rubescens), usually glabrous at veins   22 S. gracilicaulis
       
47 (43) Petals entire.   (48)
+ Petals lobed.   (51)
       
48 (47) Leaves ovate-lanceolate, 15--30 mm wide   16 S. kungessana
+ Leaves lanceolate or linear, 1.5--10 mm wide.   (49)
       
49 (48) Leaves linear, 1--3 cm × 1.5--3 mm   19 S. holopetala
+ Leaves oblanceolate or lanceolate, 3--8 cm × more than 4 mm.   (50)
       
50 (49) Stems multibranched; calyx 8--12 mm; petals yellowish white   17 S. komarovii
+ Stems usually not branched; calyx 6--9 mm; petals pinkish abaxially   18 S. pseudotenuis
       
51 (47) Plants glabrous; petals 4-lobed   12 S. odoratissima
+ Plants pubescent; petals 2-lobed.   (52)
       
52 (51) Cymules alternate.   (53)
+ Cymules opposite.   (57)
       
53 (52) Leaves linear or subulate, nearly spiniform at maturity.   (54)
+ Leaves linear, never spiniform.   (55)
       
54 (53) Calyx 1.2--1.5 cm   7 S. altaica
+ Calyx 2--2.5 cm   8 S. alexandrae
       
55 (53) Calyx shortly pubescent   34 S. subcretacea
+ Calyx glabrous.   (56)
       
56 (55) Calyx 1--1.2 cm; androgynophore ca. 3 mm   9 S. tianschanica
+ Calyx 1.4--1.7 cm; androgynophore ca. 5 mm   10 S. ningxiaensis
       
57 (52) Calyx tubular or club-shaped; androgynophore longer than 3 mm   11 S. repens
+ Calyx ovoid or campanulate; androgynophore not longer than 2 mm.   (58)
       
58 (57) Calyx broadly campanulate, 4--6 mm   13 S. macrostyla
+ Calyx ovoid-campanulate, 6--8 mm   14 S. foliosa

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