Greek sialon—saliva, in reference to the gummy exudates on the stems that catch insects; or from Silenus the gross foster-father of Bacchus, god of wine of Greek and Roman mythology, in reference to swollen calyx.
Herbs or occasionally small shrubs with woody rootstocks. Leaves opposite, linear to ovate, obovate, entire. Flowers solitary or in clusters. Sepals fused into a tube, inflated in fruit, veins 10-30. Petals free, narrow at the base, wide at the tip, mostly white or pink. Petal scales generally at the junction of the wide and narrow parts of petals. Stamens 10. Styles 3 (occasionally 5); spring to summer. Fruit a more or less stalked capsule opening with 6 (rarely 10) teeth.
Difficult to distinguish from Lychnis without ripe fruit. For convenience the key to the 2 genera has been combined; styles 3 (rarely 5), capsule opening with 6 (rarely 10) teeth in contrast with Lychnis which has 5 styles and 5 capsular teeth. The two genera are clearly extremely similar and for practical purposed treated together.
About 500 species of N Hemisphere, mostly from montane Europe and the Mediterranean border.
Chowdhuri (1957).
For key to species see the combined key with Lychnis.
Source: (1997). Caryophyllaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 2. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 1. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.