Silene vulgaris
Caryophyllaceae
May to August
It is found throughout the country.
See the BSBI distribution map for Bladder Campion
It grows on open and thinly-grassy places, such as, rough
pasture, railway embankments, hedge-banks and waste ground.
It may be on the decline.
Bladder Campion is a native, perennial herb, growing up to 1m.
The flowers are up to 2cm across and have 5 white, deeply
-cleft petals.
There are 5 or more stamens with greenish anthers which darken
with age..
There are 3 long, filiform styles with linear, slightly swollen and
sometimes pink stigmas.
Flowers may be male, female or hermaphrodite.
In hermaphrodite flowers the stamens appear before
the styles..
The calyx forms a patterned globular bladder.with 5
triangular teeth.
Seeds are produced in a capsule inside the bladder.
The capsule opening has 6, erect triangular teeth.
The leaves are pale green, ovate-lanceolate, oposite and
slightly wavy.
The young stem is green and the older stem is brown and
woody.
Bladder Campion is the inland equivalent of Sea Campion.
It flowers later, has smaller flowers, a more globular bladder,
bigger leaves and erect teeth at the mouth of the capsule.
Previous page: Black Mustard
Next page: Blue Corn-lily
Bladder Campion, Cheddar Gorge, Somerset
Flowers with globular bladders
Female flower- 3 styles, swollen stigmas
5 stamens with green anthers
Calyx - veined pattern and triangular teeth
More upright variety on waste ground, Lancaster
Hermaphrodite flower with pink stigmas
Pinker, less globose and more pattered bladder
Bladder containg the seed capsule
Capsule with erect teeth - inside bladder
Ovate-lanceolate, opposite leaves
Leaves and green stem in May
Woody stem in September
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