Entry for Silene gallica L. [family CARYOPHYLLACEAE]
Entry From
Flora of Tropical East Africa, page 1, (1956) Author: W. B. TURRILL
Notes
This species has no doubt been introduced by man into East Africa. Of the three varieties usually accepted for the British flora, var. quinquevulnera (L.) Koch has not so far been seen from East Africa. Plants that may be referred to var. gallica (as Bogdan 3183, from Nakuru District, near Molo, 24 July 1951!) and others that may be considered var. anglica (L.) Koch (as Greenway 4610) have been received. The varieties, however, are by no means clear-cut and both plants with intermediate development of supposedly diagnostic characters and with various combinations of such characters (branching, inflorescence density, petal size and colouration, length and orientation of fruiting pedicels, etc.) occur both in East Africa and other areas of introduction and in the supposed natural range. The aggregate species would well repay cyto-genetical investigation.