香蝇子草 xiang ying zi cao

Silene radians Karelin & Kirilov.

Herbs somewhat suffruticose, greenish white, 30--60 cm tall, glabrous throughout. Stems caespitose, erect, multibranched throughout. Basal leaves withered at anthesis; cauline leaves narrowly oblanceolate, 3--7 cm × 2--5(--9) mm, ciliate at margin, base attenuate, slightly clasping, apex acuminate or acute. Flowers in a racemiform thyrse; cymules with peduncles subequaling or longer than pedicels, opposite, usually 1-flowered. Pedicel 1--2 cm, viscid; bracts lanceolate, herbaceous, margin membranous, ciliate. Calyx tubular, clavate in fruit, 1.2--1.5 cm, glabrous; calyx teeth 1--2 mm. Androgynophore ca. 5 mm, sparsely villous. Petal claws oblanceolate, auricles not obvious; limbs exserted beyond calyx, white, 4-lobed; lobes linear, apex obtuse; coronal scales minute. Stamens and styles exserted; filaments glabrous. Styles 3. Capsule ovoid, 8--10 mm, shorter than or subequaling calyx. Seeds brown, reniform, ca. 1.5 mm, pitted. Fl. Jun--Jul, fr. Jul--Aug.

Sand dunes, grasslands. Xinjiang [Kazakhstan, Russia].