Silene noctiflora aka Night Flowering Catchfly

Silene noctiflora, also known as night-flowering catchfly, nightflowering silene, and clammy cockle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. Native to Eurasia, it has been introduced to other continents and is sometimes considered a weed. In North America, it is a common weed in grain crops across the Canadian prairie provinces and much of the United States. This plant thrives in fields and disturbed habitats. Growing up to 50cm in rough ground, Silene noctiflora displays green leaves and fragrant flowers that are pale pink, cream, or white. These flowers bloom overnight during the summer months. The night-flowering catchfly is an annual herb with a hairy, glandular stem that reaches a maximum height of about 75-80 centimeters. Its texture is sticky to the touch. The opposite pairs of lance-shaped leaves are hairy and grow up to 14 centimeters long and 5 centimeters wide, with the largest ones located near the base of the stem. The nocturnal flowers form an open cyme of up to fifteen blooms, each held on an erect pedicel. Encased in a hairy calyx of fused sepals with a netlike veining pattern, the petals are white to pink, each with two lobes at the tip. When fully open, they measure up to 2.5 centimeters wide. The fruit is a yellowish-brown capsule with six chambers that splits open to release the seeds. It is worth noting that Silene noctiflora may be poisonous. To remove this plant, various methods can be employed. Hand-digging, pulling, and hoeing are effective approaches, especially for smaller shrubs, non-woody stemmed vines, or perennial grasses. This method can also work for young starts of larger plants like small saplings or vines. It is best to carry out these techniques when the soil is moist for easier root excavation. When digging plants, it is important to remove as much of the root system as possible to prevent resprouting.