2015 NC Wildflower of the Year: Fire-pink

Silene virginica Fire-pink

The North Carolina Botanical Garden and the Garden Club of North Carolina, Inc. are co-sponsors of the North Carolina Wildflower of the Year program. In 2011, the NC Botanical Gardens celebrated thirty years of this conservation project, which was initiated in 1982. The project's aim is to actively promote, each year, throughout the state and region an attractive plant that is native to the southeastern United States.

Fire-pink
Silene virginica
Fire-pink (Silene virginica), is one of the most stunning native perennials of the eastern United States. A member of the carnation, or “pink”, family (Caryophyllaceae), fire-pink can be found throughout North Carolina and occurs in a variety of habitats from dry, open woods to stream banks to sunny roadsides. The name “pink” refers not to the color, but rather to the frilled edges of many flowers within this family (think of “pinking shears”).

 

In mid-spring, fire-pink explodes with an abundance of brilliantly colored scarlet, star-shaped flowers that continue to provide a spectacular display through mid-summer. The calyx at the base of each flower is formed into a tube, which helps to hold nectar for fire-pink’s primary pollinator, the ruby-throated hummingbird. Similar in appearance to the closely related royal catchfly (Silene regia), fire-pink flowers can be distinguished by the presence of deep notches which create sharp, pointed lobes at the tips of each petal.

 

Like many other species in the genus Silene, the stems and calyces of fire-pink are covered in short, sticky-glandular hairs, thus explaining fire-pink’s other common name, scarlet catchfly. It is common to see small flies and gnats stuck on the plant, however these sticky hairs are reportedly a mechanism to discourage ants from climbing up the stems and into the flowers to steal nectar. 

 

Relatively inconspicuous when not blooming, fire-pink holds most of its foliage close to the ground and forms basal clumps of narrow, oblong leaves. Fire-pink prefers dry to average, well-drained soil, and also does well in poor, shallow, rocky soils and slopes. It requires excellent drainage and will decline if planted in moist, poorly drained areas. Although in the wild, fire-pink can be found in the dappled shade of open woodlands, it is fairly intolerant of deep shade and in fact thrives and blooms more profusely in full sun. Fire-pink can be a relatively short-lived perennial, however it will re-seed itself and young seedlings can easily be transplanted.

 

Whether planted in a sunny perennial bed with lobed tickseed (Coreopsis auriculata) and spiked wild indigo (Baptisia albescens), or in a woodland garden setting with green-and-gold (Chrysogonum virginianum) and ebony spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron), fire-pink is sure to bring a burst of warmth (and hummingbirds!) to your garden.

 

The illustration of fire-pink above was created by Dot Wilbur-Brooks. This design is printed on T-shirts, available for purchase in the Garden Shop.

To receive a brochure and seeds of the current North Carolina Wildflower of the Year send a self-addressed, stamped business-letter envelope to:

 

2015 NCWFOY
North Carolina Botanical Garden
Campus Box 3375, UNC-CH
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3375 BEFORE ORDERING, please read the seed distribution policy