Silene latifolia or Silene alba
White campion is a common plant that has been introduced to much of North America except for just a few states in the south (USDA, 2014). It prefers open ground with well-drained soils and is often seen in seasonally irrigated hay meadows.
Campion is a member of the pink family and is usually a perennial. The white to light pink flowers are usually around ½ inch in diameter and each plant produces numerous five-petaled flowers. The flowers have a large calyx from which they emerge, hence the reference to bladder campion as one of this plant’s aliases (Whitson, et. al, 1999). The entire plant is covered in fine hairs and mature stems can have a reddish appearance. The root can produce additional rosettes that may mature in the same season as the parent plant.
White campion is a prolific seed producer; each pod can produce several hundred seeds.
USDA, NRCS. 2014. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 18 March 2014). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
Whitson, Tom D., et al. ‘Weeds of the West’ 5th ed. (1999), Western Society of Weed Science.
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