Silene caroliniana

A low perennial herb native to eastern North America, this species forms a basal cluster of narrow leaves and produces short flowering stems. Each vivid pink to purple flower has five petals, with the tips shallowly notched, emerging from a narrow tubular calyx. The fruit is a dry capsule that opens to release numerous small seeds. It flowers in spring and grows in dry forests, barrens and rocky outcrops. The foliage can remain partly evergreen through winter. Photographed in Florida.