Caryophyllaceae

Silene hookeri

Hooker's Indian-Pink

Decumbent to upright from much-branched thickened root. Stems and leaves glandular or lightly covered with short soft hairs. Leaves egg-shaped, 1–3 in. long, green to gray, entire. Flower clusters atop stems. Calyx densely hairy, petals 5, pink, red, salmon, or white, each divided into 4 lobes, inner lobes somewhat wider, tips rounded. At center, 2 small appendages divided into 2 lobes, often a contrasting color, top each petal. Grows in open woods, among shrubs and conifers, at 1200–4000 ft. Subsp. bolanderi, with larger, deeply divided, white flowers, grows in northern California. Plants in Oregon are pink to red, occasionally white, with smaller, less deeply divided petals.

• Rarity: Locally Common
• Flowering Time: Mid Spring
• Life Cycle: Perennial
• Height: 2--8 inches
• Habitat: West-Side Forest, Meadow
• Found In: Siskiyous
• Native: Yes