Lychnis

Lychnis, a genus of plants of the natural order Caryophyllaceæ. They are herbaceous plants, generally perennial, and natives of temperate countries. Several are found in Britain. The Ragged Robin (L. flos-cuculi) is one of the most frequent ornaments of meadows and moist pastures; the German Catchfly (L. viscaria) is very rare, and generally found growing on almost inaccessible precipices; the Red Campion (L. diurna) and the White Campion (L. vespertina) abound in fields, hedges, and the borders of woods. The last two are dioecious, and, strangely enough, the female of the first and the male of the second are very common, while the male of the first and female of the second are rather rare. The flowers of L. vespertina are usually fragrant in the evening. The Scarlet Lychnis (L. Chalcedonica), a native of Asia Minor, is a frequent and brilliant ornament of flower-borders. Some of the species have saponaceous properties.