Royal Catchfly

Silene regia

Royal Catchfly is an eye-catching plant with its bright red color.

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Introduction

Royal Catchfly can be found at Gabis Arboretum in the Native Plant Garden. A plant rarely seen in the wild due to habitat loss, but easy enough to grow in a home landscape.

The scarlet, trumpeting flowers beckon to all the hummingbirds in the area, as well as Black Swallowtails.

Royal Catchfly is rare due to loss of prairie habitat and is endangered in some states but is relatively easy to grow. The bloom period is June-August for this excellent garden plant. We love this unique red flower in our gardens!

About the Plant

Smaller insects fall prey to the “catch” part of this plant: the stems and leaves are sticky. Although part of a carnivorous family, this head-turner does not gain nutrition from its captives. After getting stuck, the insects inevitably die. This presents another challenge for the plant. It isn’t healthy to have rotting insects stuck all over it.

This is where the digestive enzymes come in. They quickly breakdown the insect bodies, keeping them from becoming putrid. The plant does not actively attract insects therefore it is not truly carnivorous. It’s likely the sticky trichomes are a vestigial characteristic of a past carnivorous lifestyle. Here is a link to some research that has been done on the plant.

The nectar of the flowers attracts the larger butterflies, such as Papilio polyxenes asterias (Black Swallowtail), and the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. Aphids suck juices from the upper stems occasionally.

There is a colony of royal catchfly in the native plant garden as well as some in the native plant circle.