FLORA OF ICELAND elements: Silene uniflora, Sea Campion, Holurt

Silene uniflora; contrary to its English name, the sea campion can be found almost anywhere on Iceland and is a characteristic plant of the highland deserts. It prefers sandy and gravel-rich soils. The inflated calyx makes this plant easily recognizable. I have noticed though, that one can find different calyx color varieties. It seems that most common are plants with white calyx-tubes with a very distinct red-colored vein pattern. One can also find plants without a pronounced vein-pattern where the calyx-tube is yellowish or yellowish/reddish. One more feature characteristic for this species are the slightly bluish-colored leaves. It is member of the pink family (Caryophyllaceae). The Icelandic name of this species is Holurt.