Weed Information: Silene chalcedonica (Maltese-cross)
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Silene chalcedonica (Maltese-cross)

Family: Caryophyllaceae

Description

An escaped ornamental with bright red-orange flowers and opposite leaves. Note the deeply bilobed petal tips and the pair of narrow appendages at the base of each petal blade. The stems are quite hairy and the leaf margins are often wavy.

Characteristics

Flower Color
  • Red (or pink)
  • Red-orange
Inflorescence Type (How the flowers are arranged on the plant)
  • Head
  • Panicle
Number of Petals
  • 5 petals
Petal Separation
  • Completely free to base
Petal Tip
  • Bilobed
  • Erose
Flower Symmetry
  • Flowers regular
Flower Length (Head length in the Asteraceae)
  • 2.0 cm (.8 inch)
  • 2.5 cm (1.0 inch)
  • 3.0 cm (1.2 inches)
Flower Width (Head width in the Asteraceae)
  • 1.5 cm (.60 inch)
  • 2.0 cm (.80 inch)
  • 2.5 cm (1.0 inch)
Number of Sepals
  • 5 sepals
Sepal Separation
  • United > 75% of length
Sepal Tip
  • Pointed
Flower Sex
  • Bisexual (perfect)
Number of Styles
  • 5 styles
Number of Stamens
  • 10 stamens
Stamens Attached to the Petals
  • Stamens NOT attached to the petals
Stamens Connate (united)
  • Filaments or anthers NOT united

Carpel Separation
  • Carpels united (or one)
Number of Carpels
  • 5 carpels
Ovary Position
  • Superior (hypogynous)
Fruit Type
  • Capsule, 1-celled
  • Capsule, > 3-celled
Fruit Length at Maturity
  • 8 mm (.32 inch)
  • 9 mm (.36 inch)
  • 1.0 cm (.40 inch)
  • 1.5 cm (.60 inch)
Fruit Width at Maturity
  • 7 mm (.28 inch)
  • 8 mm (.32 inch)
  • 9 mm (.36 inch)
  • 1.0 cm (.40 inch)
Burs
  • Fruit or seed NOT bur-like

Leaf Arrangement
  • Opposite
Leaf Type
  • Simple (including lobed leaves)
Stipules
  • Lacking
Tendrils
  • Tendrils absent
Venation
  • Pinnate
Petiole (leaf stem) Blade Ratio
  • Petiole absent (leaf sessile)
Leaf Length (blade PLUS petiole)
  • 4 - 10 cm (1.60 - 4.0 inches)
  • 1 - 2 dm (4.0 - 8.0 inches)
Leaf Width
  • 1 - 2 cm (.40 - .80 inch)
  • 2 - 4 cm (.80 - 1.6 inches)
Leaf Shape (simple leaves only)
  • Lanceolate
  • Ovate
Leaf or Leaflet Margin
  • Entire
  • Undulate (sinuate, repand)
Leaf or Leaflet Blade Base
  • Acute (cuneate)
  • Cordate
Leaf or Leaflet Tip
  • Acuminate (attenuate)
  • Acute
Leaf or Leaflet Blade Surface
  • Pubescent
  • Sparsely hairy
Succulence
  • Not succulent

Milky Juice
  • Juice NOT milky (watery)
Woodiness
  • Herbaceous
Spines or Thorns
  • Spines or Thorns ABSENT
Aromatic (vegetative structures)
  • Not aromatic
Life Cycle
  • Perennial
Growth Habit (while flowering)
  • Erect, columnar (narrow)
  • Erect, spherical (bushy)
Plant Height at Maturity
  • 4 - 6 dm (1.3 - 2.0 feet)
  • 6 - 8 dm (2.0 - 2.6 feet)
  • 8 - 10 dm (2.6 - 3.3 feet)
Wind Dissemination
  • Not wind disseminated
Moisture Regime
  • Mesic
Chlorophyll
  • Present

Stem Cross Section
  • Round
Flowering Stem Leaves
  • Stem uniformly leafy
Main Stem Branches
  • Main stem unbranched
  • Main stem branched

Root or Vegetative Propagule
  • Tap Root

US State
  • Connecticut
  • Illinois
  • Massachusetts
  • Maine
  • Michigan
  • New Hampshire
  • New York
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • Wisconsin
  • Indiana
  • Maryland
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont
  • Alaska
  • Idaho
  • Minnesota
  • Montana
  • North Dakota
Canadian Province or Territory
  • British Columbia
  • New Brunswick
  • Nova Scotia
  • Ontario
  • Prince Edward Island
  • Quebec
  • Manitoba
  • Saskatchewan

  • Listed as a `Weed` by the Biota of North America Program, 2008 x
  • Listed in the WSSA Composite List of Weeds X
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