Silene chalcedonica
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Silene chalcedonica (syn. Lychnis chalcedonica), the Maltese-crossTemplate:RTemplate:RTemplate:R or scarlet lychnis,Template:RTemplate:R is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to Eurasia. Other common names include flower of Bristol, Jerusalem crossTemplate:R and nonesuch.Template:R
It is a popular ornamental plant and has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Description
It is a perennial herbaceous plant growing Template:Convert tall with unbranched stems. The simple, broadly lanceolate leaves are produced in opposite pairs. Each leaf ranges between Template:Cvt long and Template:Convert across.
The bright red flowers are produced in clusters of 10-50 together. Each flower Template:Convert in diameter with a deeply five-lobed corolla, each lobe being further split into two smaller lobes. This forms a general shape similar to that of the Maltese cross to which it owes one of its common names. The fruit is a dry capsule containing numerous seeds.
Taxonomy
This plant was first formally named as Lychnis chalcedonica by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.Template:R For purposes of taxonomic stability, the genus name Lychnis was formally rejected in 1994 and the name Silene was conserved.Template:RTemplate:R The name Silene chalcedonica was published by Ernst Hans Ludwig Krause in 1901.Template:RTemplate:R
The specific epithet chalcedonica refers to the ancient town of Chalcedon in what is now Turkey.[1]
Numerous common names are attached to this plant, including:Template:RTemplate:RTemplate:R Template:Columns-list
Distribution and habitat
The species is native to central and eastern Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and northwestern China. It has naturalised in some parts of North America.Template:R It can be found along roadsides and other disturbed areas, as well as open woodlands, in the northern United States and Canada.Template:R
Cultivation
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It is a popular ornamental plant in gardens.Template:R It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[2][3] Numerous cultivars have been selected, varying in flower colour from bright red to orange-red, pink or white. It grows best in partial to full sun and in any good well-drained soil, if provided with a constant moisture supply. The flowering period is extended if faded flowers are removed. It is short-lived in poorly drained soil. Double-flowered cultivars are propagated by division.
In culture
It was voted the county flower of Bristol in 2002, following a poll by the wild flora conservation charity Plantlife.Template:R Its colour is reflected in the livery and crest of the city's university.[4]