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2792 - AlpenPix (Garden) - 2010-12-04 (Dimension: 1742 x 2338 pixels - Counter: 5970) Silene scouleri Locality: USA - New Mexico - Mountain View Experimental Gardens, Peak 7 area, Breckenridge, Colorado, elevation 10,000 feet, USDA Zone 4. Photographer: Jane Hendrix Note: I'm always on the lookout for Lychnis or Silene species because they do so well in my high-altitude gardens. I found a scrawny, weedy thing in seed, growing at 9,000 feet in a dark, coniferous forest in central New Mexico. Its inflated capsules and sticky stems indicated it was probably a Silene. I germinated those seeds and was pleasantly surprised when it burst into bloom: a white "petticoat" of petals surrounded by a starburst of pink sepals attached to what might be described as mini-watermelons! True to its common name (Scouler's Catchfly), it sticky glands do catch flies. In my garden, S. scouleri is growing in a dry, partially shaded area where it attains a height of 30 inches, blooming in mid-September. (Sent: Alpine-l@nic.surfnet.nl) (Click on the picture to enlarge) |