''Silene tomentosa'', the Gibraltar campion, is a very rare

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

Silene ''Silene'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. Containing nearly 900 species, it is the largest genus in the family. Common names include campion and catchfly. Many ''Silene'' species are widely distributed, particularl ...

'' and the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Caryophyllaceae Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactace ...

. It is a woody-based

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

about 40 cm high, with bilobed

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

s ranging from pink to pale violet and is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to Gibraltar.

Re-discovery and conservation

Although the scientific community outside Gibraltar already thought ''Silene tomentosa'' to be extinct, the Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society's botanical section knew it was still around in 1985, but by 1992 they also considered it to be extinct. It was later re-discovered in 1994, when it was found growing in the

Upper Rock Nature Reserve The Gibraltar Nature Reserve (formerly the Upper Rock Nature Reserve) is a protected nature reserve in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar that covers over 40% of the country's land area. It was established as the Upper Rock Nature Res ...

. Following this re-discovery, it was propagated at the

Millennium Seed Bank The Millennium Seed Bank Partnership (MSBP or MSB), formerly known as the Millennium Seed Bank Project, is the largest ''ex situ'' plant conservation programme in the world coordinated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. After being awarded a M ...

and the

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes the ...

is kept at the

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,10 ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. Using knowledge gained from this process, other plants have been successfully reintroduced into the

on the

Rock of Gibraltar The Rock of Gibraltar (from the Arabic name Jabel-al-Tariq) is a monolithic limestone promontory located in the British territory of Gibraltar, near the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula, and near the entrance to the Mediterr ...

. ''Silene tomentosa'' is protected by the

law of Gibraltar The law of Gibraltar is a combination of common law and statute, and is based heavily upon English law. The '' English Law (Application) Act 1962'' stipulates that English common law will apply to Gibraltar unless overridden by Gibraltar law. ...

under the ''Nature Protection Act, 1991''.Nature Protection Act, 1991
/ref>

Habitat

''Silene tomentosa'' is currently found growing wild only on the rocky outcrops of the Rock of Gibraltar. Specimens are also grown at

Gibraltar Botanic Gardens The Gibraltar Botanic Gardens or La Alameda Gardens are a botanical garden in Gibraltar, spanning around . The Rock Hotel lies above the park. History In 1816 the gardens were commissioned by the British Governor of Gibraltar General George D ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7514506 Flora of Gibraltar tomentosa

Re-discovery and conservation

Habitat

See also

References