''Silene latifolia'' subsp. ''alba'' (formerly ''Melandrium album''), the white campion is a dioecious

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family

Caryophyllaceae Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactacea ...

, native to most of

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and Northern

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. It is a herbaceous

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, occasionally

biennial Biennial means (an event) lasting for two years or occurring every two years. The related term biennium is used in reference to a period of two years. In particular, it can refer to: * Biennial plant, a plant which blooms in its second year and th ...

or a short-lived

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

, growing to between 40–80 centimetres tall. It is also known in the US as bladder campion but should not be confused with '' Silene vulgaris'', which is more generally called bladder campion. The appearance depends on the age of the plant; when young they form a basal rosette of oval to lanceolate leaves 4–10 cm long, and when they get older, forked stems grow from these, with leaves in opposite pairs. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s grow in clusters at the tops of the stems, 2.5–3 cm diameter, with a distinctive inflated calyx and five white petals, each petal deeply notched; flowering lasts from late spring to early autumn. The entire plant is densely hairy. Occasional plants with pink flowers are usually hybrids with red campion (''

Silene dioica ''Silene dioica'' ( syn. ''Melandrium rubrum''), known as red campion and red catchfly, is a herbaceous flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native throughout central, western and northern Europe, and locally in southern Europe. It has ...

'').

Habitat and occurrence

White campion grows in most open habitats, particularly

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and fields, most commonly on neutral to alkaline

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s. Despite the wide array of conditions in which campion can thrive, it prefers sunny areas that have rich and well-drained soil. An example ecoregion of occurrence is in the Sarmatic mixed forests. It is also named the Grave Flower or Flower of the Dead in parts of England as they are seen often growing on gravesites and around tombstones. It is

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in North America, being found in most of the

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, the greatest concentrations of the plant can be found in the north-central and northeastern sections of the country. ''S. latifolia'' is thought to have arrived in North America as a component of ship

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Inbreeding avoidance

In ''S. latifolia'', outbred male offspring were found to sire significantly more progeny than inbred male offspring. This study indicated the occurrence of

inbreeding depression Inbreeding depression is the reduced biological fitness which has the potential to result from inbreeding (the breeding of related individuals). Biological fitness refers to an organism's ability to survive and perpetuate its genetic material. ...

in male plants under natural conditions. In female plants, inbreeding depression significantly affects vegetative growth, age at first flowering and total fitness. Post-pollination selection occurs in ''S. latifolia''. After multiple-donor pollination, it was found that pollen or embryo selection likely reduces the occurrence of inbred progeny.

Use among Native Americans

The Ojibwa use an

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of the ''alba'' subspecies as a

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

.Smith, Huron H. 1932 Ethnobotany of the Ojibwe Indians. Bulletin of the Public Museum of Milwaukee 4:327-525 (p. 361)

Susceptibility to disease

''Silene latifolia'' is afflicted by the fungal pathogen ''Microbotryum violaceum'', which acts as a sterilizing sexually transmitted infection in this species. (MHNT) Silene latifolia - flower.jpg, Each petal is deeply notched Silene latifolia subsp. alba MHNT.BOT.2004.0.310.jpg, '' Silene latifolia'' – MHNT Ackerpflanze mit weißen Blüten.JPG, ''Silene latifolia'' in an open area that has a lot of exposure to sunlight

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q27624 latifolia Flora of Western Asia Flora of North Africa Flora of Europe Dioecious plants Plants used in traditional Native American medicine Flora of Lebanon and Syria Flora of Syria