Silene Silene, (Gruner) Walters (Gruner) WaltersSilene Silene, (Litv.) Kleopow Silene Silene, (L.) Wibel

41. S. borysthenica (Grüner) Walters View in CoL , Feddes Repert. 69: 47 (1964)

(5. otites var. borysthenica Grüner , Otites borysthenica (Grüner) Klokov , S. parviflora (Ehrh.) Pers. , non Moench, S. ehrhartianaSoo).

Biennial (?rarely perennial); dioecious; stems up to 80 cm; whole plant pubescent. Basal leaves narrowly spathulate, often withered at time of flowering; cauline linear-oblanceolate. Inflorescence usually a narrow panicle; flowers very numerous, small; hairs on pedicels short, dense, forwardly-directed and curled. Calyx 2-3 mm. Petals linear, greenish, entire. Capsule 2-3 mm, subglobose; carpophore very short. Seeds c. 1 mm, reniform. 2« = 24. Dry places, particularly in open coniferous woodland. C. & E. Europe. Al Bu Cz Hu Ju Po Rm Rs (N, C, W, K, E). Rather variable in length and nature of hairiness. Further information might justify the recognition of subspecies.

42. S. media (Litv.) Kleopow View in CoL , Bull. Jard. Bot. Kieff 9: 64 (1929).

Like 41 but stem and leaves only sparsely puberulent; cauline leaves more persistent, linear, acute; pedicels glabrous; calyx glabrous, often only 5-veined; calyx of female flowers 1-5-2-5 mm. S. Russia, S. Ukraine. R s(W, E).

43. S. hellmannii Claus View in CoL , Beitr. Pfl. Russ. Reich. 8: 289 (1851)

(inch Otites graniticola Klokov ).

Biennial or perennial; dioecious; stems up to 60 cm; whole plant, including pedicels and calyx, clothed with dense, more or less straight, deflexed hairs. Basal leaves broadly spathulate, cauline oblanceolate-spathulate. Inflorescence usually a narrow panicle; flowers relatively few. Calyx 3-5-5 mm. Petals linear, greenish, entire. Capsule 5-9 mm, ovoid; carpophore very short. • S. Russia, S. & E. Ukraine. Rs (W, E). S. cyri Schischkin in Grossh. et al., Bull. Mus. Géorgie 2: 4 (1925), differing from 43 only in having glabrous calyx and pedicels, is recorded from Astrakhan’ and (as var. duriuscula (Velen.) Kleopow ) from Bulgaria. Otites dolichocarpa Klokov , Jour. Bot. Acad. Sci. Ukr. 5 (1): 23 (1948), described from S.E. Ukraine (Zaporozskaja Oblast’), has large capsules and glabrous calyx and pedicels, but differs from S. cyri in habit and in its longer hairs. (44-48). S. otites group. Members of this group are dioecious biennials or short-lived perennials, common in steppe communities and ruderal habitats in S.E. Europe, possessing the general habit of 41-43, but with glabrous pedicels and calyx, and an ovoid capsule 3-5-5(-6) mm. The main variation is in habit, inflorescence-form, and hairiness. Petal-colour and flower-scent provide valuable characters, un­ fortunately lost in dried material. Male plants are particularly difficult to identify. The following is a key to the more widespread taxa: 1 Petals white

2 Petal-claw glabrous; hairs on lower part of stem usually more than 1 mm 47. wolgensis 2 Petal-claw ciliate; hairs on lower part of stem less than 1 mm

48. baschkirorum 1 Petals greenish

3 Hairs on lower part of stem more than 1 mm; tall plants

46. exaitata 3 Hairs on lower part of stem less than 1 mm; plants of varied habit

4 Ultimate 3-flowered dichasia of inflorescence dense; tall plants, often 100 cm or more 45. densiflora 4 Ultimate 3-flowered dichasia of inflorescence lax; plants usually less than 100 cm 44. otites

44. S. otites (L.) Wibel View in CoL , Prim. Fl. Werthem. 241 (1799)

(inch S. pseudotites Besser ex Reichenb. , S. polaris Kleopow ).

Stems 10-50(-120) cm. Calyx 4-6 mm, glabrous, ovoid; teeth obtuse. Petal-limb inconspicuous, greenish, linear. Capsule 3-5—5(—6) mm, ovoid to subglobose, exceeding calyx; carpophore usually c. 1 mm. 2« = 24. Widespread in E., S. & C. Europe; very local in the north and west. Al Au Br Bu Cz D a G a Ge G r He Ho Hs Hu It Ju Po Rm Rs (N, B, C, W) Tu [Be Fe]. Very variable. The typical plant ( S. otites (L.) Wibel sensu stricto), is 20^40 cm, with narrow, more or less interrupted inflorescence and ovoid capsule; it is absent from the southeastern part of the range, where taller plants, usually called S. pseudotites Besser ex Reichenb. , FI. Germ. Excurs. 819 (1832), replace it. Such plants usually have broadly spathulate basal leaves, spreading panicles and larger, subglobose capsules, and occur throughout S.E. Europe and along the Mediterranean coast as far as S. France. Subsp. velebiticaDegen, FI. Veleb. 2:83(1937),asmallplantwith linear-lanceolate to narrowly-spathulate basal leaves and a subglobose capsule 5-6 mm, occurs in N.W. Jugoslavia.