Pictorial guide to the flora of the British Isles

Silene dioica is a dioecious herb mostly found in woodland edges and hedgerows; male plants have narrow flowers with stamens but no stigmas.

West Coast, New Zealand; 2009-10-22

Female plants of Silene dioica have an inflated calyx and stigmas but no functional stamens.

Upton Cressett (VC40: Salop); 2008-06-14

The range of Silene dioica extends to colder climates than the more Mediterranean Silene latifolia; in this image, Silene dioica is growing close to sea level near John O’Groats.

Duncansby Head (VC109: Caithness); 2011-05-21

The fruit of Silene dioica is a dry capsule containing numerous seeds and with 10 teeth around the opening; these teeth are recurved, unlike in Silene latifolia.

Cothill (VC22: Berkshire); 2015-06-23

White forms of Silene dioica can be told from Silene latifolia by the lack of pigment on the calyx veins; the two species also hybridise to produce S. × hampeana.

Beckford (VC33: East Gloucestershire); 2021-06-07