Silene coronaria, the rose campion, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to Eurasia. Other common names include dusty miller (which also refers to Centaurea cineraria and Jacobaea maritima), mullein-pink and bloody William. In the United Kingdom it is still widely referenced under its synonym Lychnis coronaria.^[1]

It is a perennial growing to 80 centimetres (31 inches) tall by 45 cm (18 in) wide, with grey felted leaves and single, bright magenta flowers produced in succession around July. Though short-lived, the plant readily self-seeds in favourable locations. It is sometimes grown as a biennial.^[1]

The Latin coronaria means "used for garlands".^[2]. Probably not. It is a translation of Dioscorides's Lychnis stephanomatike, where the epithet refers to the distinct little crown formed by the coronal scales in the mouth of the flower.

It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit,^[3] as has the white-flowered cultivar 'Alba'.^[4]

• Armitage, Allan M. (2001) Armitage's Manual of Annuals, Biennials, and Half Hardy Perennials, illustrated Asha Kays and Chris Johnson. Timber Press Inc., Singapore.
• Bailey, L. H. (2005). Manual of Gardening (Second Edition). Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.
• Ellis, Barbara W. (1999). Taylor's Guide to Annuals: How to Select and Grow More Than 400 Annuals, Biennials, and Tender Perennials. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 978-0-395-94352-6.
• Pink, A. (2004). Gardening for the Million. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.

• "Silene coronaria". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.