n.
Any of the ornamental rock-garden or border plants that make up the genus Silene , of the pink family , consisting of about 500 species of herbaceous plants found throughout the world.
The name is also applied to members of the genus Lychnis of the same family. Some species of Silene stand erect; others are spreading plants. The stems often are covered with a sticky material. Some species have solitary flowers; others have branched clusters of red, white, or pink flowers. The fruit is a capsule .
Bladder campion ( Silene vulgaris ).
Jewel Craig
The National Audubon Society Collection/Photo Researchers