Silene Species, White Campion, White Cockle

If I lived in Europe, I'd rate it a positive. But in the U.S., negative. White Campion is native to most of Europe, Western Asia and No...Read Morerthern Africa. It is now widely distributed throughout North America. In the U.S., it's a non-native invasive species. Non-native species invade ecosystems and destroy habitat and food source for native insects, birds and other wildlife.

White Campion is a herbaceous annual, occasionally biennial or a short-lived perennial plant. Despite the wide array of conditions in which campion can thrive, it prefers sunny areas that have rich and well-drained soil.

The appearance depends on the age of the plant; when young they form a basal rosette of oval to lanceolate leaves 4-10 cm long, and when they get older, forked stems grow from these, with leaves in opposite pairs. The flowers grow in clusters at the tops of the stems, 2.5-3 cm diameter, with a distinctive inflated calyx and five white petals, each petal deeply notched; flowering lasts from late spring to early autumn. The entire plant is densely hairy.

Also known as Bladder Campion.

http://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/white-campion