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Silene stellata |
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| Common name |
starry campion |
| Family |
caryophyllaceae |
| Life cycle |
perennial |
| Flowers |
white (summer) |
| Size |
3' |
| Light |
sun-part shade |
This plant popped up in one of our garden areas. Although I didn't plant it, it looked so intriguing that I left it alone. The leaf pattern, with perfectly symmetrical whorls of four leaves around the upright stalks, are quite distinctive. When it finally blooms (late June, for us), it's clear' that it is in the pink family, with frilly white five-part flowers. I'm not sure yet whether I'll consider this a weed or an ornamental.
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This plant used to grow in our garden, but it slipped away... About my plant portraits
PlantLinks to other web pages about Silene stellata
Visitors to this page have left the following comments| Becky Gray | Nov 21, 2011 | RE: Starry Campion. Quote from the Journal of Cherokee Studies, Vol. XXVII, pp 16: "...the juice is a sovereign remedy for snakebites and it is believed that the deadliest snake will flee from one who carries a small portion of the root in his mouth." I lived and worked with members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and one told me that holding the root in your mouth while walking in the mountains would keep the snakes away. Also true of the root of fire pinks according to the Journal.
Wow, that's a fun fact. I don't know that I'd rely upon it when venturing into snake country, but it's good to know that this pretty little flower has some interesting other attributes! |
| bryce s. crumb | Jul 14, 2014 | Reading Mooney, you will see that he even states in another writing, Starry Campion is a White Mountaineer snakebite remedy, not Cherokee. Fire Pinks also belong to the same genera as Starry Campion, and both are White Mountaineer snakebite remedies, not Cherokee. According to (NCAES 1898) P343 both Starry Campion and Fire Pinks are used for treating (vermifuge) worms. Just because Mooney said it, doesn't make it true. Sadly, many Cherokee have been led astray by "according to Mooney". |
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Last modified:
June 29, 2004
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