Silene Species, Alexander's Catchfly, Kamalo Gulch Catchfly

I have not grown this plant which is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. The only known population of Alexander's Catchfly, Kamalo Gulch Cat...Read Morechfly (Silene alexandri) is found on the Hawaiian island of Moloka‘i on a cattle trail in the remnants of dry forest and shrub land. According to the State of Hawaii, there are fewer than 10 plants at this location. Silene alexandri was known from historical occurrences at Makolelau and Kamalo on East Molokai. There were only two populations of Kamalo Gulch catchfly in 1992 with about 35 plants at Makolelau and Kawela on privately owned land.

A short‐lived perennial herb, Silene alexandri has an erect habit, a woody base and grows from 30 to 60 cm (1 to 2 ft) tall. The narrow, elliptic-oblanceolate, 30 - 65 mm long, 6 -14 mm wide leaves are glabrous except for a fringe along the margins. Flowers are arranged in open clusters (paniculate cymes) on stalks. The tubular, 5‐lobed, calyx is 19 to 25 mm (0.7 to 1 in) long and has10‐veins. The 5 deeply‐lobed, clawed petals are 8 -10 mm long and exsert 4-6 mm (0.2 in ) beyond the calyx. The oblong-ovoid, 3-celled in the lower part seed capsule is about 14 to16 mm (0.6 in) long. The seeds have never been seen. Separating this species from other members of the genus are its he flowering stalks, hairless stems, sepals and the larger flowers with white petals. Not much is known about the life history of this plant. Its flowering cycles, pollination, seed dispersal agents, length of life, specific habitat requirements, and limiting factors are largely unknown.