Consider-the-Lilies Web Gallery
Fire Pink
Some wildflowers stand out gloriously en masse, even though their blossoms have subdued, pastel colors. One example in the Gallery is the quiet beauty of Dames Rocket.
There are other lilies of the field that produce blossoms painted with vivid colors that announce their presence even when growing alone and viewed some distance away. This is certainly the case for the Fire Pink!
(In a similar vein, there is also what I find to be an interesting contrast in luminosity between flowers of the same color.
For example look at the the subtle yellow of Sulphur Cinquefoil and the brilliant yellow of Bulbous Buttercup. Both blossoms are yellow, yet so different, but both are a sight to behold; as Jesus said, "even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these....")
A native perennial, this "outspoken" beauty favors open forest and lightly wooded slopes. Found from the east coast to the mid-west in the United States, it is unfortunately considered an endangered species in Florida and Wisconsin.
The common name describes the coloring and the shape of the petals. The suffix "pink" is an ancient term, meaning to pierce or notch. We find it retained in the name, pinking shears, for scissors that cut notches in cloth.
So, in this case for both this plant and its relatives Wild Pink and Deptford Pink , the common suffix refers to the notch at the end of each petal.
Another characteristic, sticky blossoms, has led to the plant being dubbed "Catchfly," along with other relatives, Campion and Wild Pink. This stickiness is echoed in the botanical prefix for their common genus, Silene.
Early botanists from Linneaus onward often drew from their knowledge of Greek and Roman mythology in their naming of flora. In this particular borrowing the genus name referred back to Silenus, the perpetually intoxicated head satyr and foster-father of Bacchus (god of wine). According to the myth the satyr was known for being frequently ill from his overindulgence: the Greek for saliva is sialon !
Go to the Main Directory to consider more lilies of the field.