| Silene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Silene dioica (red campion) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Caryophyllaceae |
| Genus: | Silene L. |
| Species | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
List
| |
Silene is agenus offlowering plants in thefamilyCaryophyllaceae. Containing nearly 900 species,[1] it is the largest genus in the family.[2] Common names includecampion andcatchfly. ManySilene species are widely distributed, particularly in the northern hemisphere.[2]
Members of this genus have been the subject of research by preeminent plant ecologists, evolutionary biologists, and geneticists, includingCharles Darwin,Gregor Mendel,Carl Correns,Herbert G. Baker, andJanis Antonovics. ManySilene species continue to be widely used to study systems, particularly in the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology.[3] The genus has been used as a model for understanding the genetics of sex determination for over a century.Silene species commonly contain a mixture of hermaphroditic and female (or male-sterile) individuals (gynodioecy), and early studies by Correns showed that male sterility could be maternally inherited,[4][5] an example of what is now known ascytoplasmic male sterility. Two independent groups of species inSilene have evolved separate male and female sexes (dioecy) withchromosomal sex determination that is analogous to the system found in humans and other mammals.[6][7]
Silene flowers are frequently visited by flies, such asRhingia campestris.[8]Silene species have also been used to study speciation, host-pathogen interactions, biological species invasions, adaptation to heavy-metal-contaminated soils, metapopulation genetics, and organelle genome evolution.[3] Notably, some members of the genusSilene hold the distinction of harboring the largest mitochondrial genomes ever identified.[9]
Silene was originally described byLinnaeus.[1] Divisions of the genus into subgenera orsections before 2003 do not seem to be well-supported by molecular evidence.[2]
The genusLychnis is closely related to (and sometimes included in)Silene.[10][11] When treated as a distinct genus, it can often be differentiated by the number of flowerstyles (five inLychnis' and three inSilene), the number of teeth of the seed capsule (five inLychnis' and six inSilene), and by the sticky stems ofLychnis.
Sexual systems vary across species. MostSilene species arehermaphroditic representing 58.2% ofSilene species, 14.3% aredioecious, 13.3% gynodioecious, and 12.2% are both gynodioecious and gynomonoecious.Trioecy,andromonoecy, andgynomonoecy have also been reported but are extremely rare.[12]
Silene is the feminine form ofSilenus, an Ancient Greek woodland deity who was a companion and tutor to the wine godDionysus.[13]
Lychnis is also the common name ofHadena bicruris, a species ofnoctuidmoth. Thelarva of this moth feeds onSilene (formerlyLychnis) species, as do some otherLepidoptera includingcabbage moths (recorded onSilene chalcedonica),grey chi andcase-bearers of the genusColeophora includingC. albella (feeds exclusively onSilene flos-cuculi).
Many species ofSilene are in cultivation for perennial gardens.[14] Some have gained theRoyal Horticultural Society'sAward of Garden Merit, includingSilene flos-jovis andSilene schafta.[15]
Silene undulata (syn.S. capensis) is known asiindlela zimhlophe ("white paths") by theXhosa ofSouth Africa. A Xhosadiviner identifies and collects the plant from the wild. The roots are ground, mixed with water, and beaten to a froth, which is consumed by novice diviners during thefull moon to influence theirdreams. They also take it to prepare for various rituals. The root has such a strong, musky essence that the diviners who consume it exude the scent in their sweat.[16]
Silene vulgaris, or bladder campion, is eaten in someMediterranean countries. Young leaves may be eaten raw, and mature leaves are boiled, fried, stewed or mixed into dishes such asrisotto.
FossilSilene microsperma seeds from theChattian stage of theOligocene have been found in the Oberleichtersbach Formation in theRhön Mountains of centralGermany.[17]
