Moss Campion
Silene acaulis
Moss campion is a tight, ancient alpine cushion that studs high, windswept fellfields with tiny pink flowers, an exquisite, exceptionally hardy native for troughs and crevice gardens. The whole plant has traditionally been cooked as a vegetable in Arctic and alpine regions — it contains saponins, so this is a food eaten in modest amounts, not bulk greens.
- Family
- Caryophyllaceae
- Type
- wildflower
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 0.17–0.33 ft
- Spacing
- 0.67–0.83 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- moist
- Soil pH
- alkaline, neutral
- Bloom
- June, July, August
- Bloom colors
- pink, purple
- Wildlife value
- pollinators
- Landscape uses
- container
- Native states
- AK, AZ, CO, ID, ME, MT, NH, NM, NV, NY, OR, UT, WA, WY
Related native plants
More Silene species
- Fire Pink (Silene virginica)
- Cardinal Catchfly (Silene laciniata)
- Whorled Catchfly (Silene stellata)
- Royal Catchfly (Silene regia)
- Carolina Wild Pink (Silene caroliniana)
- California Indian Pink (Silene californica)