Stickily-hairy perennial of disturbed ground, bare places and hedges, this plant blooms from May to October with very white flowers, both male and female, 25-30mm across, with 5 petals. The hairy calyx is ovoid and becomes swollen in fruit and is not marked by the same pattern as that of Silene maritime. The leaves are opposite, lanceolate and stickily hairy. This plant was possibly introduced and belongs to the family Carophyllaceae.
I first identified this near to Lough Derg in Co Tipperary in 1981 and photographed it by the side of the road in Ballitore, Co Kildare in 2002.
If you are satisfied you have correctly identified this plant, please submit your sighting to the National Biodiversity Data Centre
