Native. Annual. Propagates by seeds. Time of bloom: June to September. Seed-time: Late July to October. Range: Ontario and New England to British

Columbia, southward to Florida and Mexico. Habitat: Dry meadows, waste places, open woods.

An inconspicuous plant because of its habit of keeping its flowers closed except for a very short time each day while the sun shines brightest. Its seeds, however, are often found among those of grass and clover.

Stem eight inches to two feet high, slender and glutinous below the swollen joints. Leaves small, the lower ones about two inches long, spatulate, narrowing to a margined petiole; stem-leaves narrow and sessile, reduced near the top to awl-like bracts. Flowers in a cymose panicle on very slender pedicels, each less than a quarter-inch broad, the five pink petals notched; styles three, rarely four; stamens ten. Capsule ovoid, opening by three or six teeth at the apex, one-celled or imperfectly three-celled at base, a characteristic of all the Silenes; the seed is small and dark brown. (Fig. 98.)

Fig. 98.- Sleepy Catchfly (Silene antirrhina). X 1/2.

Means Of Control

Hay should be cut from infested meadows before the seed matures and falls into the soil. It is better that there should be some present loss if thereby the ground is made comparatively clean for the next crop.