Red Campion

Silene dioica

Please keep in mind that it is illegal to uproot a plant without the landowner's consent and care should be taken at all times not to damage wild plants. Wild plants should never be picked for pleasure and some plants are protected by law.
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Plant Data

Flowering Months:

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Order:

Caryophyllales

Family:

Caryophyllaceae (Pink)

Also in this family:

Alpine Catchfly, Alpine Mouse-ear, Alpine Pearlwort, Annual Knawel, Annual Pearlwort, Arctic Mouse-ear, Arctic Sandwort, Berry Catchfly, Bladder Campion, Bog Stitchwort, Bouncing Bett, Cheddar Pink, Childing Pink, Clove Pink, Common Chickweed, Common Corn-cockle, Common Mouse-ear, Common Soapwort, Coral Necklace, Corn Spurrey, Cyphel, Deptford Pink, Dwarf Mouse-ear, English Sandwort, Field Mouse-ear, Fine-leaved Sandwort, Four-leaved Allseed, Fringed Rupturewort, Fringed Sandwort, Greater Chickweed, Greater Sea-spurrey, Greater Stitchwort, Greek Sea-spurrey, Grey Mouse-ear, Heath Pearlwort, Italian Catchfly, Knotted Pearlwort, Lesser Chickweed, Lesser Sea-spurrey, Lesser Stitchwort, Little Mouse-ear, Maiden Pink, Marsh Stitchwort, Moss Campion, Mossy Sandwort, Mountain Sandwort, Night-flowering Catchfly, Nottingham Catchfly, Perennial Knawel, Pink, Procumbent Pearlwort, Proliferous Pink, Ragged Robin, Recurved Sandwort, Rock Sea-spurrey, Sand Catchfly, Sand Spurrey, Scottish Pearlwort, Sea Campion, Sea Mouse-ear, Sea Pearlwort, Sea Sandwort, Shetland Mouse-ear, Slender Pearlwort, Slender Sandwort, Small-flowered Catchfly, Smooth Rupturewort, Snow Pearlwort, Snow-in-summer, Spanish Catchfly, Spotted Catchfly, Spring Sandwort, Starwort Mouse-ear, Sticky Catchfly, Sticky Mouse-ear, Strapwort, Sweet William, Teesdale Sandwort, Three-nerved Sandwort, Thyme-leaved Sandwort, Upright Chickweed, Water Chickweed, White Campion, Wood Stitchwort

Type:

Flower

Life Cycle:

Perennial

Maximum Size:

1 metre tall

Habitats:

Cliffs, farmland, hedgerows, roadsides, rocks, wasteland, woodland.

Flower:

Red, 5 petals

5 rose-pink notched petals, up to 2.5cm. Flowers range in colour from dark red to pale pink depending on geographic location.

Fruit:

An ovoid capsule with 10 curved back teeth after becoming ripe. The capsule contains numerous seeds.

Leaves:

The dark green leaves are untoothed and appear in opposite pairs. They are lanceolate, pointed and with long winged stalks.

Aroma:

Flowers are unscented.

Other Names:

Adder's Flower, Bachelor's Buttons, Billy Buttons, Bird's Eye, Bob Robin, Brid Een, Bull Rattle, Bull's Eye, Cancer, Cock Robin, Cuckooflower, Devil's Flower, Dolly Winter, Drunkards, Fleabites, Gipsy Flower, Gramfer Greygles, Johnny Woods, Mary's Rose, Morning Campion, Mother Dee, Ragged Jack, Red Butcher, Red Catchfly, Red Mintchop, Red Riding Hood, Red Robin Hood, Robin Flower, Robin Redbreast, Robin-in-the-hedge, Robin's Eye, Robin's Flower, Robroys, Sarah James, Scalded Apples, Soldiers' Buttons, Wake Robin.

Frequency (UK):

Abundant

Video

Distribution Map

Reproduced by kind permission of the BSBI.

Click to open an Interactive Map