Red Campion - Silene dioica

Medium to tall hairy, but not sticky, with a creeping stock and erect flowering stems. Leaves oblong, the lowermost stalked, the upper, short stalked or unstalked. Flowers usually bright rose pink, but can be paler pink or white. 8 to 25 mm, not scented, numerous flowers in lax branched clusters. Styles 5. Male and female flowers occur on separate plants. Calyx of male flower with 10 veins, female with 20 veins. Seed capsule with 10 recurved teeth.

White campion, and the hybrid between the two

Capsule teeth are revolute (tightly curled back on themselves).

Pale pink and white flowered varieties are difficult to tell from the hybrid, and flower colour alone cannot be used to identify the hybrid. 

Deciduous woodland, hedgerows and roadside verges.

May to November.

Biennial or perennial.

Very common throughout Britain.

Very common in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 512 of the 617 tetrads.