Silene apetala

Silene apetala

Taxonavigation

Taxonavigation: Caryophyllales
Classification System: APG IV Superregnum: Eukaryota Cladus: Diaphoretickes Cladus: CAM Cladus: Archaeplastida Regnum: Plantae Cladus: Angiosperms Cladus: Eudicots Cladus: Core eudicots Ordo: Caryophyllales

Familia: Caryophyllaceae
Tribus: Sileneae
Genus: Silene
Species: Silene apetala

Name

Silene apetala Willd., Sp. Pl., ed. 4. 2(1): 703 (1799).

Synonyms

• Homotypic
  • Silene sericea var. apetala (Willd.) Knoche, Fl. Baléar. 1: 471 (1921).
• Heterotypic
  • Viscago aspera Hornem., Hort. Bot. Hafn. 1: 409 (1813).
  • Lychnis brachypetala Hornem., Hort. Bot. Hafn., Suppl.: 51 (1819).
    • Sofianthe brachypetala (Hornem.) Tzvelev, Byull. Moskovsk. Obshch. Isp. Prir., Otd. Biol. 111(6): 39 (2006).
  • Lychnis apetala var. pauciflora Fisch. ex DC., Prodr. 1: 386 (1824), nom. inval.
  • Lychnis inclusa Lehm., Linnaea 5(Lit.): 46 (1830).
  • Lychnis parviflora Turcz. ex Besser, Flora 17(1 Beibl.): 8 (1834).
  • Silene inamoena Fenzl, Index Seminum (Vienna) 1850(Adv. Bot.): 7 (1851), nom. inval.
  • Silene brachypetala Fenzl, Index Seminum (Vienna) 1850(Adv. Bot.): 9 (1851), nom. illeg.
  • Silene glaucifolia Fenzl, Index Seminum (Vienna) 1850(Adv. Bot.): 9 (1851), nom. inval.
  • Silene gracilis Fenzl, Index Seminum (Vienna) 1850(Adv. Bot.): 9 (1851), nom. inval.
  • Silene apetala var. glomerata Godr., Fl. Juvenalis: 9 (1853).
  • Silene pallidiflora Link ex Willk., Icon. Descr. Pl. Nov. 1: 76 (1854).
    • Silene apetala var. pallidiflora (Link ex Willk.) Nyman, Consp. Fl. Eur., Suppl. 2: 55 (1889).
  • Silene vilis Fenzl ex Boiss., Fl. Orient. 1: 596 (1867), nom. inval.
  • Silene apetala var. grandiflora Boiss., Fl. Orient. 1: 597 (1867).
  • Silene aspera Rohrb., Monogr. Silene: 118 (1869), nom. inval.
  • Silene anomala Dufour ex Rohrb., Monogr. Silene: 118 (1869), nom. inval.
  • Silene glauca Rohrb., Monogr. Silene: 118 (1869), nom. inval.
  • Silene praecox Rohrb., Monogr. Silene: 118 (1869).
  • Lychnis falconeri Rohr ex Edgew. & Hook.f. in J.D.Hooker, Fl. Brit. India 1: 223 (1874).
  • Silene decipiens Barceló, Anales Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat. 8: 343 (1879), nom. illeg.
  • Silene rigoi Boiss., Fl. Orient., Suppl.: 94 (1888), pro syn.
  • Silene apetala var. macropetala Willk., Suppl. Prodr. Fl. Hispan.: 280 (1893).
  • Silene apetala var. berenicea Pamp., Nuovo Giorn. Bot. Ital., Ser. 2, 24: 130 (1917).
  • Silene apetala var. glabrata Hosny & Shamso, Taeckholmia 14: 33 (1992–1993 publ. 1993).

Homonyms

• Silene apetala Host, Fl. Austriaca 1: 532 (1827), nom. illeg., vide Silene nocturna subsp. nocturna.

Distribution

Native distribution areas:

Continental: Europe Regional: Southwestern Europe Portugal, Sardegna, Spain. Regional: Southeastern Europe Albania, Bulgaria, Greece (doubtfully present), Italy, Kriti, Sicilia. Continental: Africa Regional: Northern Africa Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia. Regional: Macaronesia Canary Islands. Regional: Northeast Tropical Africa Socotra, Somalia. Continental: Asia-Temperate Regional: Western Asia Afghanistan, Cyprus, East Aegean Islands, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon-Syria, Palestine, Sinai, Türkiye. Regional: Arabian Peninsula Gulf States, Oman, Saudi Arabia. Continental: Asia-Tropical Regional: Indian Subcontinent Pakistan. References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition

References

Primary references

• Willdenow, C.L. 1799. Species Plantarum. Editio quarta. Tomus 2, pars 1. pp. [1]–823. Berolini: G.C. Nauk. BHL Biblioteca Digital Reference page. 

Links

• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. 2026. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset. Taxon: Silene apetala. Accessed: 2026 January 07.
• Govaerts, R. et al. 2026. Silene apetala in Kew Science Plants of the World Online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2026 January 07. Reference page. 
• Hassler, M. 2026. World Plants. Synonymic Checklist and Distribution of the World Flora. . Silene apetala. Accessed: 07 January 2026.Reference page. 
• International Plant Names Index. 2026. Silene apetala. Published online. Accessed: 07 January 2026. Reference page.
• Tropicos.org 2026. Silene apetala. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 07 January 2026. Reference page.

Vernacular names

• العربية: سيلينة عديمة البتلات

For more multimedia, look at Silene apetala on Wikimedia Commons.