''Viscaria vulgaris'', the sticky catchfly or clammy campion, is a

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 Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

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 ...

. It is an upright

perennial 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 wid ...

growing to in height. The leaves are

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular ...

. The flowers, which are 20 mm across and bright rosy-pink, appear in long whorled spikes from May to August. It grows on cliffs and rocky places.''New Flora of the British Isles'';

Clive Stace Clive Anthony Stace (born 1938) is a British botanist and botanical author. He studied at King's College London, graduated from University of London in 1959 and then studied at the Natural History Museum, London. He was awarded a PhD in 1963. ...

; Third edition; 2011 printingThe Wild Flowers of Britain and Northern Europe; Fitter, Fitter, Blamey; Collins; 3rd edition 1978 The Latin name ''Viscaria'' means "sticky", and refers to the stickiness of the stem just below the leaf joints. The English common names reference the same feature. ''Viscaria vulgaris'' is also grown as an ornamental garden plant. In British horticultural literature it is often referred to by its synonym ''Lychnis viscaria''. The cultivar 'Splendens Plena', a double-flowered form, has won the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

’s Award of Garden Merit. File:Silene viscaria Seed.jpg, Seed, background lines are apart File:Silene viscaria Seed Capsule Whorl.jpg, Whorl of seed capsules, background lines are 5mm apart File:Silene viscaria Seed Capsule 1.jpg, Seed capsule, viewed from side File:Silene viscaria Seed Capsule 2.jpg, Seed capsule, viewed end on

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q22113370, from2=Q158946, from3=Q21976214 Garden plants Flora of Great Britain