Қызыл Төс гүлі немесе Мальта кресі

Species of flowering plant

Silene chalcedonica (syn. Lychnis chalcedonica), the Maltese cross or scarlet lychnis, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to Eurasia. Other common names include flower of Bristol, Jerusalem cross and nonesuch. It is a popular ornamental plant and has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

It is a perennial herbaceous plant growing tall with unbranched stems. The simple, broadly lanceolate leaves are produced in opposite pairs. Each leaf ranges between long and across. The bright red flowers are produced in clusters of 10 50 together. Each flower in diameter with a deeply five lobed corolla, each lobe being further split into two smaller lobes. This forms a general shape similar to that of the Maltese cross to which it owes one of its common names. The fruit is a dry capsule containing numerous seeds.

The species is native to central and eastern Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and northwestern China. It has naturalised in some parts of North America. It can be found along roadsides and other disturbed areas, as well as open woodlands, in the northern United States and Canada.

It is a popular ornamental plant in gardens. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Numerous cultivars have been selected, varying in flower colour from bright red to orange red, pink or white. It grows best in partial to full sun and in any good well drained soil, if provided with a constant moisture supply. The flowering period is extended if faded flowers are removed. It is short lived in poorly drained soil. Double flowered cultivars are propagated by division.

It was voted the county flower of Bristol in 2002, following a poll by the wild flora conservation charity Plantlife. Its colour is reflected in the livery and crest of the city's university.