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S I L E N E conica.
Corn Catchjly.
DECANDR1A Trigynia.
G en. Char. Cal. of i leaf, fwelling. Petals 5, with
claws. Cap/, fuperior, imperfectly 3-ceUed, burft-
ing at the top. Seeds many.
Spec. Char. Stem forked. Petals cloven, crowned.
Leaves foft. Calyx when in fruit conical, with
thirty furrows.
Syn. Silene conica. Linn. Sp. P i. 598. Sm. FI.
B rit. 470. With. 4 16 . Hull. 98.
S. conoidea. Hudf. 189. Linn. Sp. P I. 598 ?
Lychnis fylveftris anguftifolia, caliculis turgidis (triads.
D ill, in R a il Syn. 3 4 1 .
L . caliculis (triads, fecunda Clufii. Ger. em. 470.
T * JL H I S fpecies o f Silene is a n a tive o f K e n t, b u t, as far as
we k n ow , o f n o o th e r p a rt o f B rita in . M r. D iliw y n fuppjied
u s w ith fpecimens from th e fa n d -h ills n e a r San d own Ca ttle,
w h e re it grew in th e tim e o f D ille n iu s. I t is a n n u a l, flowering
in J u ly , a n d th riv in g in th e m o d b a rre n fandy foil.
Root fmall, ta p e rin g , b u t little b ra n ch e d . Stem e re c t, ro u n d ,
d ow n y , fom ew h a t vifcid, b ra n ch e d , leafy, repeatedly forked in
th e flowering p a rt, v a rious in h e ig h t. Leaves oppofite, lin e a r-
lan c eo la te , e n tire , a cu te , clo th ed all over w ith foft fh o rt
d ow n , a n d o f a g ray ith g re en co lour. Flowers from th e d iva
ric atio n s o f th e item , folitary, (talked, eredt, in a n evening
e x h a lin g a fweet fmell, ap p ro a c h in g to th a t o f a honeyfuckle,
b u t w e ak e r. C a ly x cy lin d rica l, b e com in g conical as th e fruit
fwells, m em b ra n o u s , w ith 3 0 green downy p rom in e n t equal
rib s, a n d 5 (harp te e th . Pe tals n a rrow , th e ir lim b cloven,
ro fe -co lo u red , w ith a (ha rp to o th o n e ach fide o f th e bafe, and
a n o tch e d fcale above, fo rm in g th e c row n . Capfule ovate.
Seeds ro u g h .
I t is m o re th a n p ro b a b le th a t th e S. conoidea is a very flig h t
v a rie ty o f th is , w ith fm o o th e r leaves. T h e petals b e in g u n d ivided
is n o t a n in v ariab le m a rk . W h a te v e r th e fi<mres o f
L o b e l a n d G e ra rd e cited in FI. Brit, m a y b e intended*5fo r, we
n ow pre fe r th a t o f G e ra rd e above q uoted as th e m o d exact
reprefen ta tio n .