Mediterranean Catchfly

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Mediterranean Catchfly
• Night Catchfly
• Night-flowering Catchfly

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Corone nocturna

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. It is further classified within the order Caryophyllales and the family Caryophyllaceae. Ultimately, it is identified by the genus Silene.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a diverse geographical distribution across several distinct European regions. In Middle Europe, its presence is specifically noted within Germany. Moving toward the Mediterranean, it can be found across various parts of Southwestern Europe. This includes its occurrence in the Baleares and Corse islands. Additionally, its range extends to the mainland territories of France and Portugal.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Silene nocturna is characterized by its adaptation to coastal environments, specifically thriving in habitats composed of sand and sea. This species occupies a broad altitudinal gradient, ranging from sea level at 0 m AMSL up to a maximum elevation of 1500 m AMSL.

Elevational range max:

1500 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

0 m AMSL

Habitat :

sand, sea

Life history

The life history of Silene nocturna is characterized by an annual lifecycle, meaning the plant completes its entire developmental sequence from germination to seed production within a single growing season. As a therophyte, its life form is defined by its strategy of surviving unfavorable periods as ephemeral seeds, allowing it to bypass harsh environmental conditions without maintaining any above-ground vegetative structures. This classification as a therophyte ensures that the plant can rapidly colonize available niches during favorable seasonal windows, relying entirely on its seed bank to ensure continuity across generations.

Life form :

therophyte

Lifecycle :

annual

Morphology

The morphology of Silene nocturna is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb, functioning as both a herb and a forb. This plant exhibits a self-supporting growth habit, meaning it does not require climbing structures, and maintains an erect shoot orientation. It is a terrestrial species, categorized within the terrestrial niche rather than being aquatic or an epiphyte, and it grows as an independent organism without parasitic tendencies. In terms of stature, the plant is relatively diminutive, with a height ranging from a minimum of 0.08 m to a maximum of 0.5 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

0.5 m

Plant height min:

0.08 m

Shoot orientation :

erect

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Silene nocturna is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which governs its carbon fixation processes and energy production. The vegetative structure features elliptic leaf forms that serve as the primary sites for gas exchange and light absorption. These leaves exhibit specific morphological dimensions, with a length ranging from a minimum of 1 cm to a maximum of 4 cm. The width of the leaves is similarly constrained, maintaining a minimum dimension of 0.2 cm and reaching a maximum width of 1 cm, ensuring an optimized surface-area-to-volume ratio for its metabolic requirements.

Leaf form :

elliptic

Leaf length max:

4 cm

Leaf length min:

1 cm

Leaf width max:

1 cm

Leaf width min:

0.2 cm

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Silene nocturna is characterized by a specific flowering window that occurs primarily during the month of June, with both the onset and conclusion of the flowering period centered around this time. The plant produces distinctive pink flowers that serve as the precursor to fruit development. Once pollination is successful, the plant develops a capsule-type fruit, which typically measures between 0.7 cm and 1 cm in length. The reproductive cycle concludes with the production of very fine seeds, which maintain a consistent and minimal mass of 0.00012 g, representing the minimum, maximum, and mean seed mass for the species.

Flower colour :

pink

Flowering time :

Jun

Fruit length max:

1 cm

Fruit length min:

0.7 cm

Fruit type :

capsule

Seed mass mean:

0.00012 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Activities

Silene nocturna has 1 reported activities identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant.

Antioxidant

1. Immunological investigations

Conditions

Silene nocturna has 1 reported investigations on conditions identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include opportunistic infections.

Opportunistic infections

1. Immunopharmacology and immunotoxicology

Preparations

Silene nocturna has 1 reported preparations identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include plant extracts.

Plant extracts

1. Immunological investigations