Common catchfly (Silene gallica)
Description
Silene gallica is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by several common names, including common catchfly,small-flowered catchfly,and windmill pink. It is native to Eurasia and North Africa, but it can be found throughout much of the temperate world as a common roadside weed. It is an annual herb growing up to 40 or 45 centimeters tall, its branching stem coated in long, curling hairs and shorter, glandular hairs. The lance-shaped leaves are up to 3.5 centimeters long low on the plant, and smaller on the upper parts. Flowers occur in a terminal inflorescence at the top of the stem, and some appear in the leaf axils. Each flower has a tubular calyx of fused sepals lined with ten green or purple-red veins. It is coated in long hairs. It is open at the tip, revealing five white, pink or bicolored petals, each with a small appendage at the base.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum:
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Caryophyllales
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Family: Caryophyllaceae
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Genus: Silene
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