Scientific Family
Caryophyllaceae
Other common names
simple catchfly
Scouler catchfly
Scouler's campion
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Biennial or perennial
Height
4 to 20 inches
Riparian
No
Stems erect, simple, slender or stout; leaves lance-like; petals may be angled backwards and can be forked nearly to their full length, into 2 or 4 narrow lobes.
Taprooted; several, erect stems with soft hairs and glands, sticky to touch; leaves basal and on stems; sepals prominently veined, form a tube; veins parallel, purple or green; petals forked, white, greenish-white, pink or purple, narrow at base.
Habitat
Moist mountain meadows and forests.
Plant Community
Montane Conifer Forest
Low elevation
5000
High elevation
9500
Flower Characteristics
Flowers clustered in narrow spike have 5 deeply forked petals; 2 paler, petal-like appendages at base of petal; sticky, glandular-hairy, green or purple-striped, 10-veined, fused sepals; petals white, greenish-white, or pink, narrow at base.
Flower color
White, greenish-white, pink, green, purple
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
Yes
First bloom month
July
Last bloom month
September
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Stems hairy, leafy, erect to leaning; basal leaves nearly stalkless, lance-like, 2-1/2 inches long, 1/4 to 1-1/2 inches wide; minute soft, bent backwards hairs on both sides; 1 to 12 pairs of leaves on stem; stalkless; broadly to narrowly lance-shaped.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Egg-shaped to flattened circle, 1-celled capsules; equal to or slightly longer than sepals; opening by 6 or 8 teeth; 1/16 to 1/4 inch long carpophore (an extension of the stem that supports the hanging fruit).
Fruit type
Capsule
Brown or grayish brown; kidney-shaped; 1/16 inch long; margins papillate (soft nipple-shaped projections); wrinkled on sides.