Silene nocturna

Σιληνή η νυχτερινή

Etymology of Silene nocturna: 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. "Nocturna" is Latin, from "nocturnus", meaning "pertaining or belonging to the night", referring to its flowers that open during the night.

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 nocturna is a relatively uncommon plant in Cyprus, even though it is said to be found in all the districts. It grows up to an altitude of about 1225 metres. The specimen in the pictures comes from a garden in Ypsonas (Limassol district). Its flowering period is approximately between February (sometimes as late as March) and June.