Maltese-cross - Silene chalcedonica
Grows to a height of 30 to 50 cm. Stem unbranched, roughly hairy. Leaves opposite, lobes clasping the stem not toothed. Flowers five petalled, bright red, several in an umbel.
Grown as a garden plant and rarely establishing far from habitation.
Flowers June to August.
Perennial.
Only occasional scattered records of this species in Britain away from the garden environment.
Rare escape from cultivation in Leicestershire and Rutland. It is believed that the record from Higham on the Hill on 9th July 2015 is the first occurrence of this species away from habitation in VC55. It was not recorded in the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire.
Graham Calow
Higham on the Hill
09 July 2015
1st record for VC55
Graham Calow
Higham on the Hill
09 July 2015
1st record for VC55
Graham Calow
Higham on the Hill
09 July 2015
1st record for VC55
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Species profile
- Common names
- Maltese-cross
- Species group:
- Wildflowers
- Kingdom:
- Plantae
- Order:
- Caryophyllales
- Family:
- Caryophyllaceae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 2
- First record:
- 09/07/2015 (Calow, Graham)
- Last record:
- 14/06/2017 (Nicholls, David)
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% of records within its species group
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Graham Calow
Higham on the Hill
09 July 2015
1st record for VC55
