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Clammy Campion

Clammy Campion

Viscaria vulgaris

Identify the Clammy Campion from a photo and log your finds with Florapass.

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How common: Very common

Clammy Campion is an upright, long‑lived wildflower with deep pink to crimson blooms held in a tight cluster near the top of a dark, sticky stem. It is most often seen in sunny, dry, open places such as rocky slopes and sandy banks.

Did you know?

  • Its sticky bands just below the leaf joints can trap small insects, helping to keep ants from raiding the flowers.
  • The name “clammy” refers to the tacky, tar‑like coating on parts of the stem.

About the species

Identification

Upright, unbranched plant 20–50 cm tall. Stem smooth, dark reddish‑brown, with sticky bands just below each leaf pair. Leaves come in pairs, narrow and long with smooth edges; the leaf bases often show a line of fine white hairs. The flower cluster is short and dense near the stem top. Flowers are deep pink with 5 petals, often slightly notched; a dark purple tube sits behind the petals. Later, small round pods open with five flaps. Differs from Red Campion by its sticky stem and tighter flower cluster; Alpine catchfly is shorter and not sticky. Flowers in Finland in June–July.

Plant group

Herbaceous plants

Habitat

rock

Flowering

Jun–Jul

About the habitat

Prefers sunny, dry, open places: rocky hillsides, sandy or gravelly grasslands, banks, embankments, and roadsides. Common in southern and central Finland.

Sources

Photo: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harilik tõrvalill Lychnis viscaria.jpg

Text: Pinkka: BIO-503 Suomen kasvisto ja kasvillisuus - Kulttuuriympäristöt: kedot, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.38107

Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A4kitervakko

See also