Rose Campion

I am singing the praises of this beautiful little flower I noticed springing up amid the dandelions outside my window for about a month now.

I asked many what it was called but it wasn't until Priscilla Eubank and her daughter Jesse showed up for dinner that I got the name.

I asked her daughter first and her reply was "That is a mom question." Priscilla came out onto the balcony and I posed the question to her.

She couldn't recall the name immediately but said it would come to her...and so it did. In the midst of another question I posed asking about the name of a bird that had landed on my balcony that morning.

That question has remained unanswered ever since she delightedly shouted Rose Campion..confusing me until I saw her upraised finger when the memory of our talk returned.

Silene coronaria
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Silene coronaria
Prikneus0348.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Genus: Silene
Species: Silene coronaria
Binomial name
Silene coronaria
(L.) Clairv.
Synonyms
Agrostemma coronaria L.
Lychnis coronaria (L.) Desr.
Flower detail

 Lychnis coronaria
Silene coronaria is a species of flowering plant in the carnation family Caryophyllaceae, native to Asia and Europe. Common names include rose campion,[1] dusty miller (this also refers to Centaurea cineraria and Jacobaea maritima), mullein-pink, bloody William, and lamp-flower.[2] A white form 'Alba' is available [3]

 In the United Kingdom it is still widely referenced under its synonym Lychnis coronaria.[4]

 The Latin coronaria means "used for garlands".[5]

 It is a perennial growing to 80 cm (31 in) tall by 45 cm (18 in) wide, with grey felted leaves and single, bright magenta flowers produced in succession around July. Though short-lived, the plant readily self-seeds in favourable locations. It is sometimes grown as a biennial.[4] It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[6][7]

I go back to my studies on chivalry and am certain that somewhere on a Knight's armor or insignia this little flower has appeared.

There is something so perfect and masterful about it and the color of the little blossoms appearing in among the dandelions.

And even the name Campion suggest the word Champion!

Further reading reveals that it is a member of the carnation family...our mom's favorite flower.

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