Silene lanceolata, a member of the pink family (Caryophyllaceae), is an upright, perennial subshrub with stems 15 to 50 cm (6 to 20 in) long, which are woody at the base. The narrow leaves are 25 to 80 mm (1 to 3 in) long, 2.0 to 11.0 mm (0.08 to 0.4 in) wide, and smooth except for a fringe of hairs near the base. Flowers are arranged in open clusters with stalks 8.0 to 23.0 mm (0.3 to 0.9 in) long. The five-toothed, 10-veined calyx is about 7.0 to 9.0 mm (0.3 in) long, and the wide portion of the five white, deeply-lobed, clawed petals is about 6.0 mm (0.2 in) long. The capsule is about 8.0 to 9.0 mm (0.3 in) in length and opens at the top to release reddish-brown seeds about 1.0 mm (0.04 in) in diameter.