Silene regia 'Royal Catchfly'
Courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder
The beauty of this plant is that the brilliant scarlet tubular star-shaped flowers draw in so many Ruby Throated Hummingbirds and Black Swallowtails. A late summer quiet stunner-- especially when grown in masses. Unassuming downy lanceolate foliage hides the fascinating detail about this native: the sepals exudes a stickiness (the Catchfly part) that snares small insects. It is related to some of the carnivorous natives. The plant enzymes break down the insects but don't absorb any nutrients from them, it just digests them so they don't putrefy. One thought is that the plant uses this mechanism to prevent those smaller insects from eating the foliage, as well as to keep ants out of the nectar zone. Needs well drained location.
Height
4 feet
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USDA Hardiness Zone 4
Characteristics & Attributes
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Exposure
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Attracts Wildlife
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Bees and other pollinators |
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Plant Sub-Group
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