Red-flowering Silene Project

I am working on a project on floral color evolution at the Harvard University Herbarium – the major question is: why do the red -flowering Silene species only occur in North America, and nowhere else in the genus range? Does it have to do with polyploidy, pollinator competition?

Species of interest for Red Silene of North America project

In 2020, I sent out a tweet to ask for help collecting, and was overwhelmed by the reply! Thank you! I am now back in the field in 2021, but am always delighted to receive any seeds you might come across!

Here is the pertinent info for what I’m looking for, and how to collect.

I am looking for seeds* from the following species (including any subspecies):

Silene rotundifolia, Round-leaf Catchfly inaturalist link

Silene virginica, Fire Pink inaturalist link

Silene regia, Royal Catchfly inaturalist link

Silene subciliata, Cardinal Catchfly inaturalist link

Silene laciniata, North Californian Indian Pink, Mexican Pink, etc. inaturalist link

• Several subspecies, including Silene laciniata ssp. californica  inaturalist link ssp cali

Protected species to be collected only with a permit:

Silene serpentinicola * / Silene hookeri spp. serpentinicola, Serpentine Catchfly inaturalist link

Silene salmonacea *, Klamath Mountain Catchfly, inaturalist link

Silene plankii *, Plank’s Campion, NM rare plants link

• *Please don’t collect these without a permit, but please do leave an observation on iNaturalist! Or, contact me directly.

Here is a link to my project on iNaturalist, where you can use the map to look at recent observations near you: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/red-silene-of-north-america

How to collect Silene seeds:

• The size of the capsule varies from species to species, but they all dry to a light brown (sometimes light green) and open at the top when the seeds are mature.
• Often the remains of the calyx surround the capsule, which can slightly camouflage and make it more difficult to spot.
• Here you can see that the capsule is ripe and is open at the top, with the seeds sitting inside. The size and shape of the capsule you see in nature will depend on the species – it may be quite skinny, but generally 2-5 cm in height.
• 
• Shake the seeds from a single capsule into a small, sealable envelope (my favorite is a coin envelope, but any receptacle would do so long as it’s sealed to prevent seed escape).
  • Multiple capsules per plant can be collected into the same envelope.
  • If there are multiple plants in the population with available seeds, please use separate envelopes per plant.
  • If some pieces of the capsule itself fall into the envelope, that’s fine! We just want to avoid wet/living tissue getting into the envelope to prevent mold from growing.
  • Seal the envelope with tape to prevent seed loss
• Label the seed envelopes with the following information:
  • Species
  • Date
  • GPS location, or, if not available, a very good description of where you are (road, address, notable landmarks)
  • # capsules in envelope if > 1
• Please mail seed envelopes with a piece of cardboard or something to protect them from being crushed in transit (bubble envelopes are best, but even a folded piece of cardboard from a cereal box would do, and this fits in a normal envelope)
  • Mail to:
    • Dr. Andrea Berardi
    • Harvard University Herbaria
    • 22 Divinity Avenue
    • Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
• Please include a return address or an email – I would like to send you a thank-you note.

Questions or comments can be sent to andreaberardi (at) fas.harvard.edu