This native perennial grows from 2-3 feet tall. The stem is unbranched below the flowers (C) and both stem and leaves are covered with fine white hairs. The oval or lance-shaped leaves are up to 5 inches long and 3 inches wide. Leaves are stalkless and consist of 10-20 opposite pairs, each rotated 90 degrees in relation to the adjacent pair (D). Clusters of bright red flowers occur at the top of the stem, each flower on an individual stalk (B). The base of the flower consists of a 1 inch long, pale green, tubular, 5-toothed, longitudinally ridged calyx covered with sticky hairs, the tube bulging slightly as the flower matures (E). Flaring outward from the tip of the calyx is a bright red flower with 5 narrow, bright red petals and 10 protruding pale stamens (A). Flowers are 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter and often have irregular tips.
This eyecatching plant is native to prairies and open savannas far to our east in Illinois, Indiana and southern Missouri. It is uncommon in the Camp Brewster prairie restoration at Fontenelle Forest. Flowering occurs in July and August.
The sticky hairs on the calyx tube (E) are capable of catching or trapping small insects, hence the name “catchfly”.
Red is an uncommon prairie flower color, one that is attractive to larger pollinators like hummingbirds and some butterflies whose vision includes colors in this range of the light spectrum.
The content of NatureSearch is provided by dedicated volunteer Naturalists of Fontenelle Forest who strive to provide the most accurate information available. Contributors of the images retain their copyrights. The point of contact for this page is: Neal Ratzlaff.