Silene sclerocarpa Léon Dufour

Family: CARYOPHYLLACEAE

Genus: Silene

Sinònims: Silene cerastoides L.

Province distribution: Alacant. Balearic Islands. Barcelona. Castelló. Girona. Tarragona. València.

Distribution in the islands: Mallorca. Menorca. Ibiza. Formentera.

General distribution (Phytogeography): South Mediterranean

IUCN Category: LCLeast concern

Flowering time: JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Life-forms: Terophyte.

Habitats: Beaches and dunes, sandy soils. Rocky coastlines. Therophytic calicole fields. Coastal zones. Therophytics communities.

Characteristics: An upright herbaceous palnt which accumilates it leaves in the bottom half, lanceolate pilose leaves, which often are of reddish hues. Flowers emerge directly from atop of the stem, petals bilobate and intense pink in colour. The calyx is rounded but has a estranglation just above the base; this calyx is also of redish hues and has a central nerve that is fused with the others. Can be told apart from Silene secundiflora, which lives in similar habitats, because the calyx of the latter inflatesd into a ball when fructifying, in contrast is is more or less straight and narrow when flowering. As for Silene tridentata, this species has small petals that emerge slightly above on top of the calyx. Flowers in spring.