Starry Campion, Widowsfrill, Minnesota Native Wildflowers, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

	Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Prime Season
	Starry Campion	Silene stellata (L.) W.T. Aiton	Pink (Caryophyllaceae )	Historical Garden Plant - not extant	Late Summer
Other names and notes	(Widowsfrill). Starry Campion is a nice erect perennial growing in the open woods, up to 20" in height, with white 5-part flowers in an open inflorescence that has numerous branches and clusters of flowers (a panicle). There will usually be a pair of small leafy bracts where the panicle divides. The individual flowers are 3/4" wide with tubular sepals and the petals with frilly or deeply fringed lobes. The three styles (typical of Silenes) are branched and protrude beyond the petals. The leaves are opposite, narrow, entire and on the central part of the stem appear in whorls of 4. There is usually a swelling of the stem at the base of the leaf whorl. Like most Campions, the flowers may close at midday, but remain open at night.


The lobes of the petals are deeply fringed.


Below: The typical 4 leaf whorl in the central part of the stem, with the slight swelling(reddish area) where the leaves meet. Stem has fine short hair.

Notes: This is a historical Garden plant. Eloise Butler first planted it on May 9th in 1910 with plants from Kelsey's Nursery in North Carolina; again on May 1, 1912 with plants from Kelsey's and then on Aug. 14, 1912 found some indigenous plants growing on the west hillside. The plant was listed on Martha Crone's 1951 Garden Census but has not been on any later census. Starry Campion is native to Minnesota, found only in the southern part of the state, in 26 counties across the southern section and up into the metro area. In the U.S. it is found from the central plains eastward except for Florida, New Hampshire and Maine. Not found in Canada.

Eloise Butler wrote of this plant: "Dusky glens are illuminated by the Starry Campion, Silene stellata, thus refuting the poet who says that the night has a thousand stars and the day but one. The poignant beauty of the flower is due to the delicate white-fringed petals that cap the green calyx bell. Some of the silenes are catch-flies and are active assistants in the campaign against the malignant germ carriers, slaying innumerable hordes by glutinous hairs." Published 7/30/1911, Minneapolis Sunday Tribune

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References: Plant characteristics are generally from sources 15, 16, 30, 31, 33, W2 & W3. Distribution principally from W2 and also 31, 34 and W1. Planting history generally from 1, 4 & 4a. Other sources by specific reference. See Reference List for details.

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