Maltese Cross (Silene chalcedonica)
Description
Lychnis chalcedonica (Maltese-cross, burning love, dusky salmon, flower of Bristol, Jerusalem cross, nonesuch; syn. Silene chalcedonica) is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to central and eastern Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and northwestern China. Growing 35–100 cm (14–39 in) tall with unbranched stems, it is an herbaceous perennial. The leaves are produced in opposite pairs, simple broad lanceolate, 2–12 cm (1–5 in) long and 1–5 cm broad. The flowers are produced in clusters of 10-50 together; each flower is bright red, 1–3 cm 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 containing numerous seeds. Agrostemma is a genus of annual plants in the Caryophyllaceae family, containing the species known as corncockles. Its best-known member is A. githago, the common corncockle, which is a native of Europe where it is simply called "the corncockle". The species is a weed of cereals and other crops, probably with a centre of origin in the eastern Mediterranean.Nowadays[when-] declining in its native range because of improved seed cleaning, it is found as a weed worldwide. Agrostemma gracile, the slender corncockle, is only found in central Greece near the city of Farsala. Corncockle is an attractive plant, and its seeds are still commercially available to gardeners. “Pet poisonous” – Toxic parts: seeds
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Caryophyllales
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Family: Caryophyllaceae
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Genus: Silene
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