Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Synonyms Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Silene gallica L.

Synonyms

Silene anglica L.
Silene gallica L. var. gallica
Silene gallica L. var. quinquevulnera (L.) Koch
Silene quinquevulnera L.

Family

Caryophyllaceae

Common Names

common catchfly, English catchfly, French catchfly, French silene, gunpowder weed, Mediterranean catchfly, small catchfly, small-flower catchfly, small-flowered catchfly, smallflowered catchfly, spotted catchfly, windmill pink

Origin

Native to northern Africa, the Azores, the Madeira Islands, the Canary Islands, Europe, the middle-east, western Asia and the Indian Sub-continent.

Naturalised Distribution

Widely naturalised in southern and eastern Australia (i.e. Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, in many parts of South Australia and in the southern and western parts of Western Australia). It is also naturalised on Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island.

Widely naturalised in other parts of the world, including North America (i.e. Canada and the USA).

Notes

French catchfly (Silene gallica) is regarded as an environmental weed in Western Australia and Victoria.

Note: Two forms of this species are present in Australia (i.e. Silene gallica var. gallica and Silene gallica var. quinquevulnera), which can be distinguished from each other by differences in flower colour. Silene gallica var. gallica has white or pink flowers, while Silene gallica var. quinquevulnera has flowers with dark red blotches their petals.