Silene salmonacea

Klamath mountain catchfly, salmon-flowered catchfly, Salmon-Flowered Catchfly

Family: Caryophyllaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.3

Klamath mountain catchfly is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges in serpentine and iron-rich soil openings and mixed-evergreen forest at elevations of 760 to 1,050 meters. Flowering in June, this plant produces salmon-orange flowers with white-based green petals, the delicate blooms rising on erect stems. Growing 5 to 14 centimeters tall with gray-green, canescent stems, it develops a branched rhizome with distinctive lower leaves that are spoon-shaped to oblanceolate. Its lowest leaves measure 2.5 to 3.5 centimeters long and 0.4 to 0.8 centimeters wide, creating a compact and intricate botanical profile. The fruit develops as a nearly spherical structure with a slender 5-millimeter stalk, bearing seeds approximately 2.2 millimeters in size and reddish in color.

Habitat: Serpentine and iron-rich soils in openings or mixed-evergreen forest

Bloom period: Jun

Elevation: 760-1050 m

Bioregions: KR.

California counties: Trinity

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.