Silene (Silene pseudoatocion) possibly referred to in its home range as Mountain Carnation. This is a plant which has naturalised sparingly under ideal conditions in South Australia, and on two occasions into coastal dunes in Victoria. Here we see a single escapee exploring the limits of its situation in a Northcote front garden (where they clearly love this little pink wonder). Conceivably at this location the plant will ultimately be checked by its need for calcium-rich sand as a growing medium (this is a native of calcareous soils in the Western Mediterranean). It is worth noting that these demands are also its great potential strength as a crack weed, with construction sand presenting as a potentially ideal niche for this plant if it can make itself small and sturdy enough to resist trampling. While the jury is still out on that future as a crack weed, I could also imagine S. pseudoatocion becoming at least a regional success on spoil sites in the Victorian Goldfields, if someone got it into their head to sell it out of the nurseries up in Bendigo and Castlemaine.
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Search for information about Silene pseudoatocion in the Flora of Victoria
View information and occurrences of Silene pseudoatocion on the Atlas of Living Australia