Silene (Campion genus)

Life > eukaryotes > Archaeoplastida > Chloroplastida > Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants) > Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants) > Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Angiospermae (flowering plants) > Eudicotyledons > Core Eudicots > Order: Caryophyllales > Family: Caryophyllaceae

About 700 species (Eurasia, Africa and North America), with 12 species native to southern Africa, four species that are naturalised, and a further eight species that are cultivated in the region.

Species native to southern Africa

List from Plants of Southern Africa - an Online Checklist (SANBI), Flora of Zimbabwe and Flora of Mozambique.

Silene armeria Recorded from Zimbabwe.
Silene bellidioides Perennial herb growing to a height of 0.25 - 0.9 m and widespread in southern Africa.
Silene burchellii See Flora of Zimbabwe.
Silene crassifolia
Silene dewinteri
Silene dinteri
Silene eckloniana
Silene mundiana
Silene ornata
Silene primuliflora
Silene thunbergiana
Silene undulata See Flora of Zimbabwe.

Species naturalised in southern Africa

List from Plants of Southern Africa - an Online Checklist (SANBI).

Silene cretica [= Silene clandestina] Native to the Mediterranean region.
Silene gallica An annual herb 0.15 to 0.45 m high. Native to Europe, naturalised in southern Africa where it occurs as a weed in disturbed places.
Silene pendula
Silene vulgaris (Sea campion) Native to Europe.

Other species, cultivated in southern Africa

Information from Glen (2002).

Publications

• Glen, H.F. 2002. Cultivated Plants of Southern Africa. Jacana, Johannesburg.

• Nkonki, T. 2003. Caryophyllaceae. In Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds), Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14: 350-354. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.