Silene latifolia Poir.
Bladder Campion
White campion is a tall, softly downy plant of arable margins, hedgerows, waste ground and disturbed grassland, widespread across much of Britain. It grows as an annual, biennial or short-lived perennial, producing branching stems and pairs of greyish, slightly sticky leaves.
About
White campion is a tall, softly downy plant of arable margins, hedgerows, waste ground and disturbed grassland, widespread across much of Britain. It grows as an annual, biennial or short-lived perennial, producing branching stems and pairs of greyish, slightly sticky leaves. The white five-petalled flowers sit above an inflated, veined calyx and, like its red cousin, the species is dioecious, with male and female blooms borne on separate plants.
Its flowers open more fully towards evening and release a faint sweet scent, drawing in night-flying moths that act as its main pollinators, though bees and other insects visit by day. Flowering runs through the summer months. Where red and white campion meet, the two hybridise to give pink-flowered intermediates. Easy-going on most well-drained soils in sun, it suits cornfield-style and disturbed-ground seed mixes and brings a quiet luminance to a border as dusk falls.
Also known as
Evening Lychnis · White Campion · White Cockle · wide-leaved bladder campion
Synonyms
Lychnis pratensis · Silene alba · Silene dioica · Silene dioica rothmaleriana · Silene macrocarpa
In our seed mixes
- BFS 10 – Species Rich Wildflower Meadow Seed Mix
- BFS 110 – Cornfield Annuals Wildflower Seed Mix – 100% Flora
- BFS 120 – Wildlife Wildflower Seed Mix for Bees, Birds and Butterflies- 100% Flora
- BFS 14 – Brownfield Site Wildflower Mix (Open Mosaic Habitat on Previously Developed Land) – 80% Flora
- BFS 9 – Country Meadow Wildflower Seed Mix
- BFS10(F) – Species Rich 100% Wildflower Meadow Mix
- BFS14(F) – Brownfield Site 100% Wildflower Mix
- BFS9(F)- Country Meadow 100% Wildflower Seed Mix
- UM11 – Patchwork Wildflower Mix
Beta — under active development. This catalogue is still being built and accuracy-checked. The information here (including plant identifications, British native status, soil and sun/shade preferences) is provided in good faith for general guidance only and may contain errors or omissions. It must not be relied upon on its own — please confirm details with us before making planting, specification, foraging or purchasing decisions, and never eat or medicinally use any plant based on this catalogue alone, as some species are toxic. To the extent permitted by law, Phoenix Amenity Supplies accepts no liability for any loss arising from use of this information.