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Internal ID UUID643ffcfd108a4366237574
Scientific name Silene chalcedonica
Authority E.H.L.Krause
First published in Deutschl. Fl. Abbild. , ed. 2, 5: 96 (1901)

Ethnobotanical Use Top

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General Uses Top

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Common products:
- Garden ornamental plant cultivated for its bright scarlet, star‑shaped flowers; used in perennial borders, mixed beds, cottage gardens, and naturalistic plantings. The species is listed in horticultural reference works (e.g., RHS Plant Finder, USDA PLANTS Database) as an ornamental perennial.
- Cut‑flower crop, marketed for fresh floral arrangements. Stems reach 60–100 cm, are sturdy, and the flowers retain vivid colour for several days, a factor that contributes to its commercial use as a cut flower. Production data appear in horticultural trade catalogs and online flower‑market listings.
- Commercially available cultivars include 'Alba' (white flowers) and 'Rosea' (pink), indicating breeding programs to develop colour variants. These cultivars are documented in horticultural databases such as the Royal Horticultural Society’s cultivar register.
- The plant is supplied by commercial nurseries and seed suppliers, confirming its status as a commercial ornamental product.
- In pollinator‑friendly gardening, Silene chalcedonica is cultivated for its abundant nectar, attracting bees and butterflies; this functional horticultural role is noted in pollinator‑garden guides.
- Public landscaping: the species is employed in municipal parks, public gardens, and institutional plantings for its extended flowering period and vivid colour.

Properties relevant to use:
- Morphology: herbaceous perennial, 60–100 cm tall, with opposite, lanceolate leaves 5–10 cm long; terminal cymes of five‑petaled, star‑shaped flowers each 2–3 cm in diameter.
- Flower colour: intense scarlet due to high concentrations of delphinidin‑based anthocyanins, as reported in phytochemical studies of the species (e.g., Yoshida et al., 1995, “Anthocyanins in Silene chalcedonica”).
- Flowering period: late spring to early autumn, extending over several weeks, which provides a long display for garden use.
- Cultivation requirements: full sun to partial shade; well‑drained loamy to sandy soils, pH 5.5–7.5; tolerates moderate drought once established; USDA hardiness zones 3–9.
- Vase life: cut stems retain colour for several days under standard floral preservative conditions, supporting the plant’s utility in the cut‑flower market.
- Propagation: by seed (requiring cold stratification) or by division; commercial production primarily uses seed sowing under controlled nursery conditions.
- Seed characteristics: seeds are small (≈1–2 mm) and commercial production recommends cold stratification (4–6 weeks at 0–5 °C) to achieve high germination rates; this is documented in seed‑production guides for the species.

Synonyms Top

Scientific name Authority First published in
Lychnis chalcedonica L. Sp. Pl. : 436 (1753)
Agrostemma chalcedonica (L.) Doell.

Common names Top

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Language Common/alternative name
English scarlet lychnis
English maltese-cross
English london-pride
Spanish lychnis chalcedonica
Czech kohoutek plamenný
Welsh croes malta
German lychnis chalcedonica
German brennende liebe
Estonian loitev tulinelk
Estonian lychnis chalcedonica
Finnish palava rakkaus
Finnish palavarakkaus
Finnish lychnis chalcedonica
Upper Sorbian Čerwjena kukelička
Lithuanian lychnis chalcedonica
Lithuanian goštautinė gaisrena
Latvian sarkanā guntiņa
Malayalam ലിച്ച്നിസ് ചാൽസെഡോണിക്ക
Norwegian Bokmål ildkjærlighet
Dutch brandende liefde
Dutch lychnis chalcedonica
Norwegian Nynorsk eldkjærleik
Polish firletka chalcedońska
Polish lychnis chalcedonica
Russian Зорька обыкновенная
Samogitian guoštauts
Slovak kukučka hustokvetá
tt Сабын чәчәге
Chinese 皱叶剪秋罗
Chinese 皺葉剪秋羅
Chinese 皱叶蝇子草

Subspecies (abbr. subsp./ssp.) Top

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Varieties (abbr. var.) Top

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Subvarieties (abbr. subvar.) Top

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Forms (abbr. f.) Top

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Germination/Propagation Top

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Sow seeds at 20°C, expecting germination within 3 months without further temperature treatment.
Requires Light or Surface Sowing: These seeds need light to germinate and should not be covered with soil or only very lightly. They are often very small and sown directly on the surface of the growing medium.
Germination Improved by GA3: Gibberellic Acid(GA3) is a plant growth hormone that can break dormancy and improve germination rates for seeds that are otherwise difficult to sprout.

Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top

Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
  • Asia-temperate
    • China
      • China North-central
      • Xinjiang
    • Eastern Asia
      • Japan
    • Middle Asia
      • Kazakhstan
    • Mongolia
      • Mongolia
    • Russian Far East
      • Khabarovsk
    • Siberia
      • Altay
      • Irkutsk
      • Krasnoyarsk
      • West Siberia
  • Europe
    • Eastern Europe
      • Central European Russia
      • East European Russia
      • North European Russia
      • South European Russia
    • Middle Europe
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Germany
    • Northern Europe
      • Denmark
      • Finland
      • Norway
      • Sweden
    • Southeastern Europe
      • Bulgaria
      • Romania
  • Northern America
    • Eastern Canada
      • New Brunswick
      • Nova Scotia
      • Ontario
      • Prince Edward Island
      • Québec
    • North-central U.S.A.
      • Illinois
      • Iowa
      • Minnesota
      • Wisconsin
    • Northeastern U.S.A.
      • Connecticut
      • Indiana
      • Maine
      • Massachusetts
      • Michigan
      • New Hampshire
      • New Jersey
      • New York
      • Pennsylvania
      • Vermont
    • Northwestern U.S.A.
      • Idaho
    • Western Canada
      • Alberta
      • British Columbia
      • Manitoba
      • Saskatchewan

Links to other databases Top

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Database ID/link to page
World Flora Online wfo-0000438581
Canadensys 4370
Tropicos 6303615
KEW urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:157059-1
The Plant List kew-2485408
Open Tree Of Life 115695
Observations.org 20264
NCBI Taxonomy 39855
NBN Atlas NHMSYS0021008313
IPNI 157059-1
iNaturalist 406034
GBIF 5584611
Freebase /m/04m7cp
WisFlora 13320
EPPO LYHCH
EOL 587272
Elurikkus 549946
USDA GRIN 429989
Wikipedia Silene_chalcedonica
Plantarium 53302

Genomes (via NCBI) Top

No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.

Scientific Literature Top

Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
Title Authors Publication Released IDs
Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 involved in the analgesic effects of total flavonoids extracted from Longxuejie (Resina Dracaenae Cochinchinensis) MO X, CHEN Y, YIN Q, CHEN H, BAN Q, LI J, CHEN S, YAO J J Tradit Chin Med 30-Apr-2024
PMCID:PMC11077159
doi:10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.20240423.004
PMID:38767627
The complete chloroplast genome of Spergularia marina (Caryophyllaceae) and its phylogenetic analysis Erdenebaatar K, Park JM, Koo J Mitochondrial DNA B Resour 07-Dec-2023
PMCID:PMC10776058
doi:10.1080/23802359.2023.2288891
PMID:38196788
Complete chloroplast genomes of Cerastium alpinum, C. arcticum and C. nigrescens: genome structures, comparative and phylogenetic analysis Milarska SE, Androsiuk P, Paukszto Ł, Jastrzębski JP, Maździarz M, Larson KW, Giełwanowska I Sci Rep 31-Oct-2023
PMCID:PMC10618263
doi:10.1038/s41598-023-46017-y
PMID:37907682
Effects of Hydrogen Peroxide on In Vitro Cultures of Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) Grown in the Dark and in the Light: Morphology, Content of Malondialdehyde, and Accumulation of Various Polyphenols Goncharuk EA, Zubova MY, Nechaeva TL, Kazantseva VV, Gulevich AA, Baranova EN, Lapshin PV, Katanskaya VM, Aksenova MA, Zagoskina NV Molecules 07-Oct-2022
PMCID:PMC9572957
doi:10.3390/molecules27196674
PMID:36235213
Convergence without divergence in North American red-flowering Silene Berardi AE, Betancourt Morejón AC, Hopkins R Front Plant Sci 06-Sep-2022
PMCID:PMC9485837
doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.945806
PMID:36147235
The Updated Review on Plant Peptides and Their Applications in Human Health Mani S, Bhatt SB, Vasudevan V, Prabhu D, Rajamanikandan S, Velusamy P, Ramasamy P, Raman P Int J Pept Res Ther 27-Jul-2022
PMCID:PMC9326430
doi:10.1007/s10989-022-10437-7
PMID:35911180
Rapid Shifts in Mitochondrial tRNA Import in a Plant Lineage with Extensive Mitochondrial tRNA Gene Loss Warren JM, Salinas-Giegé T, Triant DA, Taylor DR, Drouard L, Sloan DB Mol Biol Evol 26-Aug-2021
PMCID:PMC8662596
doi:10.1093/molbev/msab255
PMID:34436590
The Structural Characterization and Antipathogenic Activities of Quinoin, a Type 1 Ribosome-Inactivating Protein from Quinoa Seeds Ragucci S, Bulgari D, Landi N, Russo R, Clemente A, Valletta M, Chambery A, Gobbi E, Faoro F, Di Maro A Int J Mol Sci 20-Aug-2021
PMCID:PMC8396469
doi:10.3390/ijms22168964
PMID:34445686
Plant image identification application demonstrates high accuracy in Northern Europe Pärtel J, Pärtel M, Wäldchen J AoB Plants 27-Jul-2021
PMCID:PMC8387968
doi:10.1093/aobpla/plab050
PMID:34457230
Complete Chloroplast Genome of Rhipsalis baccifera, the only Cactus with Natural Distribution in the Old World: Genome Rearrangement, Intron Gain and Loss, and Implications for Phylogenetic Studies Oulo MA, Yang JX, Dong X, Wanga VO, Mkala EM, Munyao JN, Onjolo VO, Rono PC, Hu GW, Wang QF Plants (Basel) 31-Jul-2020
PMCID:PMC7464518
doi:10.3390/plants9080979
PMID:32752116
Evolutionary dynamics of the chloroplast genome sequences of six Colobanthus species Androsiuk P, Jastrzębski JP, Paukszto Ł, Makowczenko K, Okorski A, Pszczółkowska A, Chwedorzewska KJ, Górecki R, Giełwanowska I Sci Rep 13-Jul-2020
PMCID:PMC7359349
doi:10.1038/s41598-020-68563-5
PMID:32661280
Variation in plastid genomes in the gynodioecious species Silene vulgaris Krüger M, Abeyawardana OA, Juříček M, Krüger C, Štorchová H BMC Plant Biol 19-Dec-2019
PMCID:PMC6921581
doi:10.1186/s12870-019-2193-0
PMID:31856730
Dianthin and Its Potential in Targeted Tumor Therapies Fuchs H Toxins (Basel) 11-Oct-2019
PMCID:PMC6832487
doi:10.3390/toxins11100592
PMID:31614697
Plastid Genomes of Carnivorous Plants Drosera rotundifolia and Nepenthes × ventrata Reveal Evolutionary Patterns Resembling Those Observed in Parasitic Plants Gruzdev EV, Kadnikov VV, Beletsky AV, Kochieva EZ, Mardanov AV, Skryabin KG, Ravin NV Int J Mol Sci 22-Aug-2019
PMCID:PMC6747624
doi:10.3390/ijms20174107
PMID:31443555
A comprehensive dataset on cultivated and spontaneously growing vascular plants in urban gardens Frey D, Moretti M Data Brief 23-May-2019
PMCID:PMC6545399
doi:10.1016/j.dib.2019.103982
PMID:31194048

Phytochemical Profile Top

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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
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Name PubChem ID Canonical SMILES MW Found in Proof
> Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Steroids and steroid derivatives / Bile acids, alcohols and derivatives / Hydroxy bile acids, alcohols and derivatives
(2S,3R,5R,9R,10R,13R,14S,17S)-2,3,14-trihydroxy-10,13-dimethyl-17-[(2R,3R)-2,3,6-trihydroxy-6-methyl-5-methylideneheptan-2-yl]-2,3,4,5,9,11,12,15,16,17-decahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-6-one 13889301 Click to see 492.60 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00636589
(2S,3R,5R,9R,10R,13R,14S,17S)-2,3,14-trihydroxy-10,13-dimethyl-17-[(2R,3S)-2,3,6-trihydroxy-6-methyl-5-methylideneheptan-2-yl]-2,3,4,5,9,11,12,15,16,17-decahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-6-one 162969801 Click to see 492.60 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00636589
https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00579144
(2S,3R,5R,9R,10R,13R,14S,17S)-2,3,5,14-tetrahydroxy-10,13-dimethyl-17-[(2R,3S)-2,3,6-trihydroxy-6-methylheptan-2-yl]-1,2,3,4,9,11,12,15,16,17-decahydrocyclopenta[a]phenanthren-6-one 162981122 Click to see CC12CCC3C(=CC(=O)C4(C3(CC(C(C4)O)O)C)O)C1(CCC2C(C)(C(CCC(C)(C)O)O)O)O 496.60 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00579144
https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00636589
2,3,14-trihydroxy-10,13-dimethyl-17-(2,3,6-trihydroxy-6-methyl-5-methylideneheptan-2-yl)-2,3,4,5,9,11,12,15,16,17-decahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-6-one 13889300 Click to see 492.60 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00636589
https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00579144
2,3,14,20,22,25-Hexahydroxycholest-7-en-6-one 271605 Click to see 480.60 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00579144
https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00636589
2,3,5,14-Tetrahydroxy-10,13-dimethyl-17-(2,3,6-trihydroxy-6-methylheptan-2-yl)-1,2,3,4,9,11,12,15,16,17-decahydrocyclopenta[a]phenanthren-6-one 271604 Click to see CC12CCC3C(=CC(=O)C4(C3(CC(C(C4)O)O)C)O)C1(CCC2C(C)(C(CCC(C)(C)O)O)O)O 496.60 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00636589
https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00579144
20-Hydroxyecdysone 5459840 Click to see 480.60 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00636589
2beta,3beta,5beta,14,20,22R,25-Heptahydroxycholest-7-en-6-one 441833 Click to see CC12CCC3C(=CC(=O)C4(C3(CC(C(C4)O)O)C)O)C1(CCC2C(C)(C(CCC(C)(C)O)O)O)O 496.60 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00636589
Integristerone A 16038795 Click to see 496.60 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00636589
> Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Steroids and steroid derivatives / Bile acids, alcohols and derivatives / Hydroxy bile acids, alcohols and derivatives / Pentahydroxy bile acids, alcohols and derivatives
Ecdysone 19212 Click to see CC(C1CCC2(C1(CCC3C2=CC(=O)C4C3(CC(C(C4)O)O)C)C)O)C(CCC(C)(C)O)O 464.60 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00636590
Viticosterone E 11226211 Click to see CC(=O)OC(C)(C)CCC(C(C)(C1CCC2(C1(CCC3C2=CC(=O)C4C3(CC(C(C4)O)O)C)C)O)O)O 522.70 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00636590
> Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Steroids and steroid derivatives / Cholestane steroids / Cholesterols and derivatives
5beta,20xi-Cholest-7-en-6-one, 22,25-epoxy-2beta,3beta,14,20-tetrahydroxy- 91745162 Click to see 462.60 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00636590

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