Weed Information: Silene vulgaris (campion, bladder)
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Silene vulgaris (campion, bladder)

Family: Caryophyllaceae

Description

This introduced perennial is very weedy in wasteland or perennial crops but will not withstand cultivation. It is easily distinguished from the other Silene species by the inflated, hairless, heavily 20-veined bladder which surrounds the fruit.

Characteristics

Flower Color
  • White
Inflorescence Type (How the flowers are arranged on the plant)
  • Cyme (simple or branched)
  • Panicle
Number of Petals
  • 5 petals
Petal Separation
  • Completely free to base
Petal Tip
  • Bilobed
Flower Symmetry
  • Flowers regular
Flower Length (Head length in the Asteraceae)
  • 9 mm (.36 inch)
  • 1.0 cm (.40 inch)
  • 1.5 cm (.6 inch)
Flower Width (Head width in the Asteraceae)
  • 9 mm (.36 inch)
  • 1.0 cm (.40 inch)
Number of Sepals
  • 5 sepals
Sepal Separation
  • United > 75% of length
Sepal Tip
  • Pointed
Flower Sex
  • Bisexual (perfect)
Number of Styles
  • 3 styles
  • 4 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
  • 3 carpels
  • 4 carpels
  • 5 carpels
Ovary Position
  • Superior (hypogynous)
Fruit Type
  • Capsule, 3-celled
  • Capsule, > 3-celled
Fruit Length at Maturity
  • 9 mm (.36 inch)
  • 1.0 cm (.40 inch)
  • 1.5 cm (.60 inch)
Fruit Width at Maturity
  • 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)
  • 2 - 4 cm (.80 - 1.60 inches)
  • 4 - 10 cm (1.60 - 4.0 inches)
Leaf Width
  • 5 - 10 mm (.20 - .40 inch)
  • 1 - 2 cm (.40 - .80 inch)
  • 2 - 4 cm (.80 - 1.6 inches)
Leaf Shape (simple leaves only)
  • Lanceolate
  • Linear or filiform
  • Oblanceolate
  • Oblong
Succulence
  • Succulent
  • Not succulent
Leaf or Leaflet Margin
  • Entire
Leaf or Leaflet Blade Base
  • Auriculate
  • Clasping
  • Rounded
Leaf or Leaflet Tip
  • Acuminate (attenuate)
  • Acute
Leaf or Leaflet Blade Surface
  • Glabrous (NO hairs)
  • Glaucous

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)
  • Spreading ascending
  • Erect, columnar (narrow)
Plant Height at Maturity
  • 2 - 4 dm (8.0 - 16.0 inches)
  • 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
  • Seasonally saturated
  • Mesic
Chlorophyll
  • Present

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

Root or Vegetative Propagule
  • Tap Root

US State
  • Arkansas
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Georgia
  • Illinois
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Massachusetts
  • Maine
  • Michigan
  • Missouri
  • North Carolina
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • West Virginia
  • Indiana
  • Maryland
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont
  • Alaska
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Iowa
  • Idaho
  • Minnesota
  • Montana
  • North Dakota
  • New Mexico
  • Oregon
  • South Dakota
  • Utah
  • Washington
  • Wyoming
  • Nebraska
Canadian Province or Territory
  • British Columbia
  • New Brunswick
  • Nova Scotia
  • Ontario
  • Prince Edward Island
  • Quebec
  • Alberta
  • Manitoba
  • Newfoundland
  • Saskatchewan
  • Yukon
Other
  • Labrador
  • Greenland

  • Common Weeds of Canada, Mulligan 1987 (ISBN 0-910053-59-9) See page: 39
  • Common Weeds of the Canadian Prairies, 1963 (Cat# A53-1136-1) See page: 59
  • Gilkey`s Weeds of the Pacific Northwest, 1980 (ISBN 0-88246-039-0) See page: 98
  • How to Know the Weeds, 1972, (ISBN# 0-697-04880-2) See page: 99
  • Identification Guide to the Weeds of Quebec, 1999 (ISBN# 2-89457-174-7) See page: 28
  • Ontario Weeds, 1992 Agdex 640, Publication #505 See page: 79
  • Some Important Michigan Weeds, 1951 Mich. Ag. Exp. Station Bulletin #304, See page: 99
  • S.W.S.S. Weed ID Guide, 1993 Section Number and Five letter code: 11 SILVU
  • Weeds, 1955 (1980) Walter Conrad Muenscher, ISBN# 0-8014-1266-8 See page: 210, 211
  • Weeds of Alberta, 1983 Alberta Environmental Centre Agdex 640-4, See page: 133
  • Weeds of California, 1970, State of California Publications and Documents. See page: 182, 183
  • Weeds of California and other Western States, 2007 (ISBN 13: 978-1-879906-69-3) See Page: 583
  • Weeds of Canada, 1970 Canada Dept. of Ag., Pub. # 948, See page: 66
  • Weeds of Eastern Washington and Adjacent Areas, 1972 (LOC 72-83635) See page: 124
  • Weeds of the Midwestern United States & Central Canada, University of Georgia 2010, ISBN#0-8203-3506-1 See page: 179
  • Weeds of the North Central States, 1981 Univ. of Illinois, Urbana - Champaign Bulletin # 772, See page: 77
  • Weeds of the Northeast, 1956, Univ. of Delaware Field Manual #1 See species #: 86
  • Weeds of the Northeast, 1997 Cornell University ISBN# 0-8014-8334-4 See page: 198
  • Weeds of the Northern United States and Canada, 1964 Montgomery See page: 53
  • Weeds of the West, 1992 (ISBN 0941570-13-4) See page: 258
  • Weeds of the West, 2000 (ISBN 0941570-13-4) See page: 256
  • Wildly Successful Plants, A Handbook of North American Weeds, 1977 (ISBN# 0-02-528850-4) See page: 26, 185
  • 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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