Nomenclature

Species name:

Silene vulgaris   (Moench.) Garcke

Author(s):

Conrad Moench;
   Germany, 1744-1805

Christian August Friedrich Garcke;
   Germany, 1819-1904

General names:

Bladder Campion, Bird's Eggs, Maiden's Tears

Maltese name:

Qasqejża

Plant Family:

Caryophyllaceae   (Pink Family)

Name Derivation:

Silene = probably from the Greek "sialon" (=saliva) referring to the gummy exudation on the stems. Another derivation could come from the name Silenus, the intoxicated foster-father of Bacchus (god of wine) who was covered with foam, much like the glandular secretions of many species of this Genus (Latin);
vulgaris = Common (Latin)

Synonyms:

Behen vulgaris, Cucubalus latifolius, Silene cucubalus, Silene inflata, Silene venosa

Remarks:

-

Botanical Data

Plant Description

Life Cycle:

Perennial

Habitat:

Lanes along countryside, walls, cultivated and fallow land, and valley sides.

Frequency:

Frequent

Sources in Malta:

Fairy common. Located at Dingli (Villa Psaigon area), fields at Wied Babu (Zurrieq), Bahrija and also seen at the valley sides of Xlendi (Gozo)

Plant Height:

Up to 60cm.

Flowering Time:

Jan - May

Poison:

Not Poisonous

This plant is not common in Malta as much as the sericea species. It is an erect perennial which can grow from loose chalky soil patches and sometimes also from walls. It flowers in late spring and does not grow much more from 50-60cm. The stem is glabrous and makes few branches.

The leaves are opposite and usually decussate (opposite pairs at right angles with the ones above or below). With exception of the basal leaves, they are generally stemless. The leaf is quite simple, having a linear/ovoid shape with a tapering apex, and an entire outline. Leaves are hairless, and have a smooth silky texture.

Although it forms part of the Pink family (Caryophyllaceae) the flowers are white. They are made up of 5 petals each having a deep indentation. This splits the petal in two distinct lobules (parts), and hence the 5 petals may seem to count as 10 petals by the observer. There are 10 stamens, growing from the base of every petal. The filaments are usually green but they can be pink or purple in colour. The anthers can be green, black or yellow in colour, but the pollen ridges are usually always light yellow or white. Often, the stamens have unequal length and not arranged radially symmetrical around the center of the flower. The 3, hair-thin styles possess feathery stigmas and are longer than the stamens. They grow from the central ovary at the base of the flower.

Perhaps the most eye-catching part of the plant is the calyx rather than the flower. It is a large inflated structure, pale green or green yellow in colour and have the shape of a balloon or bladder (hence its name Bladder campion). The mouth of the calyx have a 5-toothed rim looking like a crown. When the flower dies, the calyx the anthers withers but persists and do not fall out. The whole structure makes it look like a bit weird (a bowl with serpents)! With time, the calyx gets brown, but maintains its inflated bladder shape, where it covers and protects the developing seed capsule inside.

The seeds are kidney shaped and have a rough and have a very interesting texture when observed with a magnifying glass.

Additional Information

Habitat

The plant can be found in weedy places, in semi-dry turf, and open dry places. it likes warm, nitrogenous, and rather calcareous (rich in Calcium / lime) [272] Maybe that's why it is found growing in the drying months of May and June in Malta. [SM]

Poison

Although no mention of toxicity has been seen for this species, it does contain saponins. Although toxic, these substances are very poorly absorbed by the body and so tend to pass through without causing harm. They are also broken down by thorough cooking. Saponins are found in many plants, including several that are often used for food, such as certain beans. It is advisable not to eat large quantities of food that contain saponins. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish [KF].

More info about saponin can be found in the links section (click here)

Sexual characteristics of the plant

According to [JS], Silene vulgaris is gynodioecious - having hermaphrodites and female flowers. Hermaphrodites are protandrous. Few plants both in the greenhouse and in the wild (in eastern north america) have been observed by [JS] of having hermaphrodite and female flowers on the same plant, hence it is believe this is one type of gynomonecy. Additionally, he noticed that anthers usually dehisce in the evening and the plant is self-fertile. Geitonogamous selfing can be important, particularly in small populations where outcross pollen is unavailable. Although self-fertile, temporal seperation of male and female phases (protandry) promotes outcrossing.

On the other hand, [KF] states that the flowers are dioecious - individual flowers are either male or female, and only one sex is to be found on any one plant. Hence both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required. They are pollinated by Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies) and bees. The plant is usually not self-fertile.

How to identify if flower is sex or male?? If flower has large style and stigmas higher from stamens (which may even be absent), then it is a female. If it has large anthers and small or absent styles it is male. For example, in this picture , right top flower is female (3 styles) where as the one below is male (5 anthers).

Edible Uses

Young shoots and leaves - raw or cooked [2, 5, 8, 9, 52]. The young leaves are sweet and very agreeable in salads [217]. The cooked young shoots, harvested when about 5cm long, have a flavour similar to green peas but with a slight bitterness [183]. This bitterness can be reduced by blanching the shoots as they appear from the ground [183]. When pureed it is said to rival the best spinach purees [183]. The leaves can also be finely chopped and added to salads [183]. The leaves should be used before the plant starts to flower [9].

Medicinal Uses

The plant is said to be emollient (Ointments, creams, lotions etc., used for softening, soothing and moisturising inflamed or dry skin. [271]) and is used in baths or as a fumigant [240].
The juice of the plant is used in the treatment of ophthalmia [240] - (Opthalmia = certain types of inflammation of the conjunctiva [241]).

Other Uses

Although no specific mention has been seen for this species, it is most likely that the root is used as a soap substitute for washing clothes etc [46, 61, 272]. The soap is obtained by simmering the root in hot water which releases the soaping agent - Saponin.

The Bladder Campion secretes abundant nectar in its flowers which attracts butterflies but mostly moths. [13, 272] Moths are the main insects for pollinating this plant. It has been used to attract moths or prepare moth food.

Personal Observations

The prominent, inflated, light brown / pale yellow-green calyx was more eye-catching than the white flower itself. The corolla withers and falls off but the calyx remains alive for some days and so there would be more calyces then blooming flowers per plant. [SM]

The general view of the fruit is a bit weird too. The calyx resembles a pot, and the remaining dried stamens + styles protruding out looks like serpents or worms coming out from the pot. [SM]

The flowers are white although they come from a plant family called the PINK family. The only signs of pink can be noted in anthers or the filaments. [SM]

Many flowers gives the impression that the petals are not symmetrically arranged. Some petals are more distant from one neighbouring petal than to the other one. Also the lower petal(s) are somehow larger than those above. Radialy symmetry is not perfect sometimes. [SM]

Photo Gallery

Photo of flower. It consists of an inflated calyx, 5 white petals 3 styles and 10 stamens.

Photo of two flowers and fruit (lateral view) the latter having brown dried styles protruding from the star-shaped mouth of the calyx.

Photo of white flower and its cluster of stamens and 3 long styles. It has 5 petals each divided into 2 distinct lobes which makes the flower look as if it has 10 petals.

Photo of flower showing the 'un-ordered' arrangement of the stamens having an unequal length and the hair-thin styles.

Photo of flower (side view) showing well the inflated calyx with triangular lobes at the rim and the 3 filiform styles of the flower.

Close up photo of flower showing the 10 stamens which have an unequal length.

Close up photo of flowers showing in detail 5 of the 10 stamens. Stamens have unequal length and thin long filaments.

Side view photo of flower showing the pointed mouth of the calyx, and the 3 styles with pale-purple tipped stigma.

Photo of 3 flowers showing their green inflated calyces.

Scanned and annotated image of flower against a dark background.

Photo of inflorescences growing out from a leaf pair which can be referred to as bracts.

Photo of inflorescence of plant. Forked branches of flowers with a central non branching flower which is the first to open up.

Photo of inflorescences showing clearly the dichasium chyme type of arrangement, where the central, terminal flower is the first to open in any inflorescence.

Photo of buds which are well conspicuous thanks to the large, net-veined, inflated calyces, to which the common name of the plant - bladder campion is attributed to.

Scanned image of flower inflorescence. It is a dichasium cyme, where there are two opposite branches with flower(s) and in between there is a terminal flower which is the first one to blossom and hence the oldest one. Also seen are the tiny bracts.

Photo of flowers and calyx in situ.

Scanned image of a longitudinally dissected flower to show arrangement of inner reproductive organs. Note the globular superior purple-brown ovary.

Photo of leaves against sunlight. They have a linear or oblanceolate shape and do not have conspicuous veins except the central midrib.

Photo of opposite, sessile upper leaves. Lower leaves usually form a short stalk. The row of opposite leaves are at right angles with the one below or above. Such an arrangement of leaves is referred to as decussate opposite arrangement.

Scanned image of leaves which grow oppositely along the stem.

Scanned image of upper and lower sides of leaves. Their shape is linear to lanceolate with a pointed apex.

Photo of a large plant with many leaves and its early flowers (Taken in January 2005).

Photo of several plants in situ in early May. Their calyces are somehow more conspicuous than the flowers!

Scanned image of plant including basal leaves, stem and flowers.

Scanned image of 2 dissected petals against a dark background. Each petal is split in two distinct petal-lobes and has 2 stamens joined to its base (one of the stamen is removed).

Colour illustration of the plant and its parts taken from Flora Danica Online.

Photo of seedling.

Glabrous seed-pod inside the dried protective calyx. Parts of the calyx were removed or folded to reveal the seedpod.

Scanned image of a cross section of seedpods. They are divided into 3 chambers.

Magnified scanned image of the brown seeds which are kidney shaped and have many pointed projections.

Magnified image of seeds under light microscope.

Highly magnified image of seeds under light microscope showing the detail of the seed coat.

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