Σιληνή η αιγυπτιακή
Etymology of Silene aegyptiaca: Linnaeus named the Silene genus in 1753 for "Σιληνός" [Silinos, Silenus in Latin], the drunken foster-father of the Greek god of wine, Bacchus. Linnaeus was aware that mythological Silenus was often covered with foam from his drunkenness, and obviously, the sticky secretions of many of the Silenes were good parallelism to name the genus as such. Today, we can't know with certainty where the name Σιληνός derives from. Its epithet is "aegyptiaca" because it was initially recorded in Egypt.
There are 31 Silene kinds (species and subspecies) in Cyprus's wild habitat (an additional 32nd is in gardens), of which three are mostly or entirely encountered in occupied northern Cyprus.
Silene aegyptiaca is an annual plant reaching up to 25 cm high. It is encountered at low to medium altitudes of up to 1000 metres (it is said to reach up to 600 metres but I have spotted it at Lagoudera village at an altitude of 1000 metres), all-around Cyprus except for the Akamas region. It grows in cultivated fields, roadsides and stony slopes. Silene aegyptiaca's flowering period is from February until July.
