About Silene noctiflora L.
Silene noctiflora L., commonly called night-flowering catchfly, is an annual herb. It produces a hairy, glandular stem that reaches a maximum height of about 75 to 80 centimeters, and has a sticky texture. Its hairy, widely lance-shaped leaves grow in opposite pairs; they can be up to 14 centimeters long and 5 centimeters wide, with the largest leaves found low on the stem. Its flowers are nocturnal, arranged in an open cyme that holds up to fifteen blooms, with each flower growing on an erect pedicel. Each flower is enclosed in a hairy calyx made of fused sepals, marked with a netlike pattern of veins. It has five petals that range from white to pink, each with two lobes at the tip; when fully open, the flower is up to 2.5 centimeters wide. Its fruit is a yellowish-brown capsule with six chambers that splits open to release seeds. In its ecology, as night falls the flowers of night-flowering catchfly open and release a strong fragrance. This fragrance attracts night-flying moths, which feed on the plant's copious nectar and pollinate it.
