Editing Silene chalcedonica

{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}
{{Speciesbox
|image=Lychnis chalcedonica B.jpg
|genus=Silene
|species=chalcedonica
|authority=([[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]) E.H.L.Krause
|synonyms_ref={{r|powo}}
|synonyms=*''Lychnis chalcedonica'' {{small|L.}}
*''Lychnis fulgida'' {{small|Moench}}
}}

'''''Silene chalcedonica''''' ([[synonym (taxonomy)|syn.]] '''''Lychnis chalcedonica'''''), the '''Maltese-cross'''{{r|BSBI07}}{{r|foa}}{{r|grin}} or '''scarlet lychnis''',{{r|foa}}{{r|grin}} is a [[species]] of [[flowering plant]] in the [[family (biology)|family]] Caryophyllaceae, native to Eurasia. Other common names include '''flower of Bristol''', '''Jerusalem cross'''{{r|ornrus}} and '''nonesuch'''.{{r|pl}}

It is a popular [[ornamental plant]] and has gained the [[Royal Horticultural Society]]'s [[Award of Garden Merit]]. 

== Description ==
It is a [[perennial plant|perennial]] [[herbaceous plant]] growing {{Convert|35-100|cm|abbr=off}} tall with unbranched stems. The simple, broadly lanceolate [[leaf|leaves]] are produced in opposite pairs. Each leaf ranges between {{cvt|2-12|cm|0}} long and {{Convert|1-5|cm|abbr=on|frac=4}} across.

The bright red [[flower]]s are produced in clusters of 10-50 together. Each flower {{Convert|1-3|cm|abbr=on|frac=4}} in diameter with a deeply five-lobed corolla, each lobe being further split into two smaller lobes. This forms a general shape similar to that of the [[Maltese cross]] to which it owes one of its common names. The [[fruit]] is a dry [[capsule (fruit)|capsule]] containing numerous [[seed]]s.

== Taxonomy ==
{{multiple image
|width=150
|image1=Cross of saint stephen.svg
|alt1=Maltese cross, cross of The Order of Saint Stephen
|image2=Lychnis chalcedonica 2040.jpg
|alt2=Flower of Silene chalcedonica
|footer=A [[Maltese cross]] (left) one of many common names for ''Silene chalcedonica'' (right, a four-parted flower, though they typically have five cleft lobes)
}}

This plant was first formally named as ''Lychnis chalcedonica'' by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in 1753.{{r|ipni301029-2}} For purposes of taxonomic stability, the genus name ''Lychnis'' was formally rejected in 1994 and the name ''Silene'' was conserved.{{r|rabeler1992}}{{r|brummitt1994}} The name ''Silene chalcedonica'' was published by [[Ernst Hans Ludwig Krause]] in 1901.{{r|powo}}{{r|ipni157059-1}}

The [[Botanical name#Binary name|specific epithet]] ''chalcedonica'' refers to the ancient town of [[Chalcedon]] in what is now Turkey.<ref name=RHSLG>{{cite book|last=Harrison|first=Lorraine|title=RHS Latin for gardeners|year=2012|publisher=Mitchell Beazley|location=United Kingdom|isbn=9781845337315|pages=224}}</ref>

Numerous [[common name]]s are attached to this plant, including:{{r|ornrus}}{{r|pl}}{{r|eppo}}
{{Columns-list|colwidth=22em|
*Burning love
*Common rose {{linktext|campion}} (also used for ''[[Silene coronaria]]'')
*Constantinople campion
*Dusky salmon
*Fireball
*Flower of [[Bristol]]<ref name="Nonesuch Bristol">{{cite web |url=http://www.nonesuchexpeditions.com/nonesuch-features/the-nonesuch/nonesuch-flower-of-bristol.htm|title=The Nonesuch: Remarkable Flower of Bristol}}</ref>
*Flower of Constantinople
*Gardener's delight
*Gardener's eye
*Great candlestick
*[[Jerusalem cross]]
*[[Knight's cross]]
*[[Maltese cross]]
*Meadow campion
*[[wikt:nonesuch|Nonesuch]]
*Red robin
*Scarlet lightning
*Scarlet lychnis
*Tears of Christ
}}

== Distribution and habitat ==
The species is native to central and eastern Russia, [[Kazakhstan]], [[Mongolia]], and [[northwestern China]]. It has naturalised in some parts of [[North America]].{{r|fna}} It can be found along roadsides and other disturbed areas, as well as open woodlands, in the northern United States and Canada.{{r|fna}}

== Cultivation ==
[[File:Lychnis chalcedonica flowers (DSCF6457).jpg|thumb|In cultivation]]
It is a popular [[ornamental plant]] in gardens.{{r|foc}} It has gained the [[Royal Horticultural Society]]'s [[Award of Garden Merit]].<ref name="RHSPF">{{cite web |title=''Lychnis chalcedonica'' |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/10600/Lychnis-chalcedonica/Details |access-date=8 November 2020 |website=www.rhs.org |publisher=Royal Horticultural Society}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf|title=AGM Plants - Ornamental|date=July 2017|page=62|publisher=Royal Horticultural Society|access-date=25 March 2018}}</ref> Numerous [[cultivar]]s have been selected, varying in flower colour from bright red to orange-red, pink or white. It grows best in partial to full sun and in any good well-drained soil, if provided with a constant moisture supply. The flowering period is extended if faded flowers are removed. It is short-lived in poorly drained soil. [[Double-flowered]] cultivars are propagated by [[Division (horticulture)|division]].

== In culture ==
It was voted the [[county flower]] of [[Bristol]] in 2002, following a poll by the wild flora conservation charity [[Plantlife]].{{r|pl}} Its colour is reflected in the livery and crest of the [[University of Bristol|city's university]].<ref>{{Cite journal|date=Autumn 2015|title=The nonesuch|url=http://www.bristol.ac.uk/media-library/sites/alumni/documents/nonesuch/UoB_Nonesuch_Issue%2011_Design_v11AW_LORES.pdf|journal=Nonesuch|pages=Inside front cover}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name = foa>{{eFloras|1}}</ref>
<ref name = grin>{{GRIN}}</ref>
<ref name=brummitt1994>{{cite journal |last1=Brummitt |first1=R. K. |title=Report of the Committee for Spermatophyta: 41 |journal=Taxon |date=May 1994 |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=271–277 |doi=10.2307/1222888|jstor=1222888 }}</ref>
<ref name=BSBI07>{{BSBI 2007 |access-date=2014-10-17 }}</ref>
<ref name=eppo>{{cite web|url=https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/LYHCH| title=''Lychnis chalcedonica''|publisher=EPPO Global Database|access-date=8 March 2018}}</ref>
<ref name=foc>[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=220007919 Flora of China: ''Lychnis chalcedonica'']</ref>
<ref name=fna>{{eFloras|1|250060837|volume=5|Silene chalcedonica |last=Morton |first=John K. |accessdate=4 August 2020}}</ref>
<ref name=ipni157059-1>{{cite web |title=''Silene chalcedonica'' E.H.L.Krause, Deutschl. Fl. (Sturm), ed. 2. 5: 96 (1901).
 |url=http://ipni.org/n/157059-1 |website=ipni.org |publisher=International Plant Names Index |access-date=4 August 2020}}</ref>
<ref name=ipni301029-2>{{cite web |title=''Lychnis chalcedonica'' L., Sp. Pl. 1: 436 (1753). |url=http://ipni.org/n/301029-2 |website=ipni.org |publisher=International Plant Names Index |access-date=4 August 2020}}</ref>
<ref name=ornrus>[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=120&taxon_id=220007919 Ornamental Plants From Russia: ''Lychnis chalcedonica'']</ref>
<ref name=pl>[http://www.plantlife.org.uk/wild_plants/plant_species/maltese-cross County Flower page on Plantlife website]</ref>
<ref name=powo>{{cite web |title=''Silene chalcedonica'' (L.) E.H.L.Krause |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:157059-1 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=[[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]] |access-date=4 August 2020}}</ref>
<ref name=rabeler1992>{{cite journal |last1=Rabeler |first1=Richard K. |title=(1034) Proposal to Conserve 2490 ''Silene'' L. against ''Lychnis'' L. (Caryophyllaceae) |journal=Taxon |date=February 1992 |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=126–128 |doi=10.2307/1222505|jstor=1222505 }}</ref>
}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q164019}}

[[Category:Silene|chalcedonica]]
[[Category:Flora of China]]
[[Category:Flora of Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Flora of Mongolia]]
[[Category:Flora of Russia]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1753]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]