Melandrium napuligerum (Franchet) Handel-Mazzetti; M. rubicundum Handel-Mazzetti; Silene rubicunda Franchet (1886), not A. Dietrich (1835); S. rubicunda var. revoluta Franchet.

Herbs perennial. Roots clustered, spiniform. Stems ascending, 20--50 cm, multibranched, pubescent, basally retrorsely pubescent, apically glandular hairy. Leaves often with short, sterile axillary branches; leaf blade lanceolate-linear, 1.5--6 cm × 1.5--4(--9) mm, both surfaces densely pubescent, margin ciliate, sometimes revolute, midvein prominent, base cuneate, apex acute. Dichasial cymes lax, densely glandular hairy, lateral dichasia sometimes present. Pedicel 5--20 mm, densely glandular hairy; bracts lanceolate-linear, glandular hairy. Calyx tubular, ca. 15 × 2.5 mm, densely to sparsely glandular hairy, veins violet; calyx teeth triangular, margin membranous, ciliate, apex acute. Androgynophore 3--5 mm, glabrous. Petals pale red, ca. 2 cm; claws slightly exserted beyond calyx, oblanceolate, glabrous, auricles obscure; limbs obovate, bifid, 1-toothed on each lateral side, lobes ovate; coronal scales orbicular, apex obtuse. Stamens exserted; filaments glabrous. Styles exserted. Capsule ovoid, ca. 1 cm, shorter than calyx. Seeds reniform, grossly tuberculate and slightly grooved abaxially. Fl. May--Jun, fr. Jun--Jul.

Three forms of Silene napuligera have been distinguished based on differences in leaf morphology. These correspond to Silene rubicunda Franchet (not A. Dietrich), with lanceolate leaves to 6 cm long; the type of S. napuligera, with linear-lanceolate leaves to 3 cm long; and S. rubicunda var. revoluta, with revolute, linear leaves. However, we do not find any characters consistently correlated with these entities, and we therefore treat them as conspecific.

Silene habaensis H. Chuang (in C. Y. Wu et al., Fl. Yunnan. 6: 837. 1995) is said to be similar to S. bilingua, but differs in having a tubular-clavate calyx and 2-lobed petals. We have seen only a scanty paratype (at KUN), which agrees with these characters. This specimen also differs in having 1- or 2-flowered inflorescences and very long pedicels; moreover, the leaves are reminiscent of plants that have been called S. rubicunda var. revoluta, but the calyx is about 20 mm.

* Scrub grasslands; 1500--3600 m. Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan.