Silene acaulis, June 13, 2021
S. acaulis, summit, June 23, 2021
S. acaulis, Sayres Ridge, 13,300’, July 2, 2021
Common & scientific name
Moss campion, Silene acaulis
Family
Pink, Caryophyllaceae
Location
Above Midway, 12,000’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This perennial favorite of the high alpine occurs in almost all arctic and alpine habitats throughout the northern hemisphere. It reaches as far south as Arizona and as far north in Greenland well above the arctic circle, within twenty-five miles of the most northern growing of any plant. And according to extensive studies done on this alpine jewel in the 1950s in Rocky Mountain National Park, its roots go down as far as six feet—hard to believe in the (very) Rocky Mountains!
S. acualis, Shimer-Difficult, 12,500’, 6.27.21
S. acaulis albino, Sayres Ridge, 13,300’, July 2, 2021