Silene pusilla

Perennial of the Caryophyllaceae family. The species is distributed in central and southern Europe, from Spain to Macedonia. In France, it is found on the damp rocks of the high mountains of the Jura, the Alps of Savoy and Dauphiné, as well as the central and western Pyrenees.

Glabrous, non-viscous, tufted plant, with slender ascending to erect stems 10 to 20 cm tall. The lower leaves are spatulate-obtuse, the upper ones linear-acute, of a bright and fresh green. The dense tuft is covered at flowering time with a tight sowing of flowers borne on long, very thin peduncles, giving it a remarkable aerial lightness.

The white flowers are gathered in spread out and loose dichotomous cymes. The petals, divided into four small rounded lobes and crowned with scales at the throat, are a distinctive feature of the genus *Heliosperma*. The short calyx is glabrous, with faintly marked veins.

In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from July to August. In cultivation, it requires a fresh to moist, well-drained substrate, in a shaded to semi-shaded exposure, in rock crevices or in fresh rock gardens.