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Bladder Campion

©Northeast Wildlife

Bladder campion

Bladder campion is so-called for the bladder-like bulge that sites just behind the five-petalled flower - this is actually the fused sepals. Look for it on grasslands, farmland and along hedgerows.

Scientific name

Silene vulgaris

When to see

May to September

Species information

Statistics

Height: up to 80cm
Common.

About

Bladder campion is a common wildflower found growing around the UK in meadows, grasslands and fields, and along hedgerows and roadside verges. It gets its common name from the bladder-like calyx (a bulge made-up of the fused sepals) just behind the flowers; it is in bloom from May to September.

How to identify

Bladder campion has large, balloon-shaped swellings behind its white, five-petalled flowers. It is a medium-tall plant that is usually hairless and greyish.

Distribution

Found throughout the UK, but most common in England.

Did you know?

Bladder campion is one of the foodplants of the attractive red-and-black froghopper - an insect known for wrapping itself in a frothy mass we call 'cuckoo-spit'.