White Campion

Silene latifolia

Found in fields, roadsides, disturbed areas. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

—

Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 71%

Height: 1.5–4 feet
Light: Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture: Dry to moist

Silene latifolia — flower photograph — (c) Gavin Slater, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Annual or perennial
Bloom: May to July

JFMAMJJASOND

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 87 Virginia counties.

Habitats

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there. All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

5CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Silene

Hadena capsularisCapsule Moth
Hadena ectypaCampion Coronet
Lacinipolia renigeraBristly Ground Cat, Bristly Cutworm Moth, Kidney Spotted "Mamestra"
Melanchra adjunctaHitched Arches
Sparganothis unifascianaOne-Lined Sparganothis

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

13BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Silene

Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
Haemorhous mexicanusHouse Finch
Junco hyemalisDark-eyed Junco
Lagopus leucuraWhite-tailed Ptarmigan
Leucosticte atrataBlack Rosy-Finch
Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
Melospiza melodiaSong Sparrow
Melozone crissalisCalifornia Towhee
Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting

Show all 13

Spinus psaltriaLesser Goldfinch
Zonotrichia atricapillaGolden-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrysWhite-crowned Sparrow

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Caryophyllaceae

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “May to July” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Height · “1.5–4 feet” · Minnesota Wildflowers
Life cycle · “Annual or perennial” · Minnesota Wildflowers
Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia

Also known as

Evening Lychnis; Lychnis alba

Conservation status

Virginia rank	SNA
Global rank	GNR
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden