Definition

Noun: * A specific flowering plant (Silene latifolia subsp. alba, formerly Lychnis alba), characterized by its bluish-green, sticky stems, clusters of white flowers that open in the evening, and a notably inflated, balloon-like calyx.

Usage

• The term evening lychnis is used as a common name to identify this particular species of plant, especially noting its distinctive nocturnal blooming habit.
• It is primarily used in botanical contexts, gardening, and nature writing.

Examples

• We planted evening lychnis along the path to enjoy its fragrant flowers at dusk.
• The evening lychnis is easily recognized by its sticky stem and inflated calyx.
• A botanist pointed out the evening lychnis growing wild in the field.

Advanced Usage

• The plant's former scientific name, , is the source of the common name "evening lychnis."
• Its characteristic of flowers opening in the evening is an adaptation for moth pollination.

Variants and Related Words

• White Campion: A more frequently used common name for the same plant ().
• Bladder Campion: A related common name, though this often refers to other species with similarly inflated calyces.
• Silene latifolia: The current accepted scientific name.
• Lychnis alba: A former scientific name, now considered a synonym.

Synonyms

• White Campion
• (subsp. )

Notes on Different Meanings

• The word "evening" in the name specifically refers to the time of day the flowers open.
• The word "lychnis" is an old genus name for a group of catchfly or campion plants, now mostly reclassified into the genus .

Noun

1. bluish-green herb having sticky stems and clusters of large evening-opening white flowers with much-inflated calyx; sometimes placed in genus Lychnis