White Campion (Silene latifolia) has a display of white flowers each with 5 petals. Each petal is almost divided into two. White Campion is a fairly common whilteflower that is ften found in fields, hedgerows and roadside vergers and occasionally found on waste grounds. This flower is in bloom throughout the summer but it actually blooms at night as t produces a heady scent as it attracts many feeding moths.
The leaves are oval in shape and the stem is hairy and can reach up to 80cm in height. It can grow alongside Red Campion and they may produce a hybrid plant which develops a pink / white bloom.
White campion has male and female flowers occur on different plants. The female plants are usually in larger numbers and are pollinated by the moths at night. Once the female plant is pollinated, the seeds begin to become visable 2 – 3 weeks after the plant flowers, once this happens, the seeds often ripen and open roughly 4 – 5 weeks later. Each of these pods can contain up to 360 seeds.
Height: 40 – 80cm
Flowering Time: May to October
Preferred Conditions: This wild plant will thrive in well drained soil and it can be found in hedge banks and waste land.
