catchfly

[prettygoodword]

catchfly (KACH-flai) - n., any of various plants (genus Silene, some species sometimes categorized as genus Lychnis) with white, pink, red, or purplish flowers and sticky stems and calyces on which small insects may become stuck.


Those of the genus/genera that are not called catchflies are campions -- so if you see what you think is a campion but it has a sticky stem, it's actually a catchfly. The name dates from the 1590s, etymology obvious. Here's Silene gallica, AKA common catchfly and small-flowered catchfly:


Thanks, WikiMedia!

---L.

Comments

[mount_oregano]

Possibly carnivorous? Another sticky-stemmed plant definitely is.

1st Carnivorous Plant Identified In 20 Years Grows Near Vancouver : NPR
https://www.npr.org/2021/08/09/1026091196/this-sweet-white-flower-is-actually-a-sneaky-carnivore-scientists-discovered

[prettygoodword]

That's cool.

There's no mention, that I've found, that catchflies are carnivorous. The stickiness apparently evolved for some other purpose, though it's not clear what.