Lychnis chalcedonica L.
Scarlet lychnis, burning love, dusky salmon, flower of Bristol, Jerusalem cross, Maltese cross, nonesuch, maltesecross
Scarlet lychnis is native to central and eastern Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and northwestern China. They are popular as garden plants in North America, and often escape cultivation.
Plants: 1–3′ (35–100 cm) in height, rarely branching, with hairy stems.
Leaves: Opposite, ovate to broadly lanceolate, ¾–4½ ⨉ ⅜–1¾″ (2–12 ⨉ 1–5 cm).
Flowers: Dense umbels of 10-50 flowers, blooming June to August, depending upon climate. Each flower is brilliant red or red-orange, ½–¾″ (1.5–2 cm) across, split into five heart-shaped lobes, each of which is again split into a Y-shape, forming a sort of pentagonal Maltese cross. Each flower has ten stamens.
Fruits: Dry capsules ¼–⅜″ (8–10 mm) long, split to release numerous seeds.
Habitats: Moist forest meadows, shrubs, ravines, forest edges, roadsides.
Online References:
References:
Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 108
7/14/2012 · Gordon and Kathy’s, Prospect, Maine · ≈ 6 × 3½″ (14 × 9.3 cm) 
7/14/2012 · Gordon and Kathy’s, Prospect, Maine · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 14 cm) 
6/27/2026 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (48 × 32 cm) 
6/27/2026 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (55 × 38 cm) 
7/14/2012 · Gordon and Kathy’s, Prospect, Maine · ≈ 6 × 6″ (14 × 15 cm) 
7/14/2012 · Gordon and Kathy’s, Prospect, Maine · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm) 
| Parents | Unknown | Genus is not in the current taxonomy |
| Genus | Lychnis | Greek for “lamp” |
| Species | chalcedonica | “Of Calcedon,” an old city in Turkey |
Lychnis chalcedonica description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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