SILENE SARTORII

Family:- CARYOPHYLLACEAE/Sect. CONOMORPHA

Common Names:- Sand catchfly, Striated catchfly.

Synonyms:- Conosilene conica var. sartorii, Pleconax conica var. sartorii,

Pleconax sartorii, Silene conica subsp. sartorii

Meaning:- Silene (Gr) A name used by the Greek philosopher Theophrastus for

catchfly.

Sartorii (L) For Andrea del Sarto (1486-1531). Italian painter.

General description:- Short to medium sticky-hairy annual,

Stems:-

1) 10-25cm., one to several, usually ascending. Often covered in sand grains.

Leaves:-

1) Basal, in a rosette (usually withered at anthesis),

2) Lowermost, spathulate, up to 5 cm, narrowed into a petiole.

3) Cauline, spathulate to linear, smaller (1-3 cm), ± sessile.

Flowers:-

1) Pedicels.10-20(35) mm, straight.

2) Calyx, 10-13 mm, with c. 30 veins, subcylindrical at anthesis, pyriform and not

inflated in fruit, with a rounded umbilicate base.

3) Calyx-teeth, somewhat shorter than the tube, narrowly triangular, long cliate,

membranous-margined.

4) Anthophore, c. 0.5 mm.

5) Petal-claw, not exserted from the calyx.

6) Petal-limb, 6-9 mm, bright purple, cuneate-obcordate, with a broad apical sinus.

7) Coronal-scales, prominent (1.5-2.5 mm), white, ligulate, obtuse.

8) Bracts, leaf-like.

Fruit:-

1) Capsule, 9-11 mm, pyriform, included in the calyx.

2) Seeds c. 1.0 mm, pruinose, glossy reddish-brown underneath, with flat,

depressed back and keeled shoulders, finely striate radially, due to flat, long

and narrow testa cells.

Key features:-

1) Seeds 1 mm whitish-pruinose.

2) Calyx, 10-13 mm, with c. 30 veins. subcylindrical at anthesis, pyriform, not

inflated in fruit, with a rounded and shallowly umbilicate base.

3) Capsule finely striate radially, due to flat, long and narrow testa cells.

Habitat:- Sandy to gravelly seashores, rarely on open flats and sandy fields further

inland, but occasionally along roads some distance inland. 0-20(-200) m.

Distribution:- Endemic to Greece. Rare on Crete, known from only one location.

Flowering time:- Late Mar-June.

Photos by:- Giorgos Pantakis & Yiannis Gavalas