A friend gave me a plant that he found along a river bank in the southwest area of Kentucky. Can anyone identify?

Indian pink, maybe.

Indian Pink (Spigelia marilandica)

Thanks, Sharon.

Wow, that's a neat looking plant! Thanks for posting it, Ann. And
Heh, looks like it might grow here, too! But it's certainly not "pink!"

You're welcome, Ann - took me awhile to remember.
So glad you are here at ATP.

It's like Silene, Woof - called 'pink' because the petals are pinked, as in pinking shears.
See??

Which then makes me wonder about the origin of the term 'pinked'...??

Ha! Had to go look. This from Wikipedia:
"The color pink is named after the flowers called pinks, flowering plants in the genus Dianthus. The name derives from the frilled edge of the flowers—the verb "to pink" dates from the 14th century and means "to decorate with a perforated or punched pattern" (possibly from German "pinken" = to peck).[11] As noted and referenced above, the word "pink" was first used as a noun to refer to the color known today as pink in the 17th century. The verb sense of the word "pink" continues to be used today in the name of the hand tool known as pinking shears."

WOW! You ladies are just too, too much!

Pretty easy to fit right in, Ann!

Wow! That is a beautiful plant! Looks like it will grow in my zone too, and seems to fit right in with the conditions I have. I'm so glad I came across this one!

Oh, and welcome to ATP Ann! You'll love it here!

Natalie - I have Spigelia marilandica and it survived in my zone 5 with minimal protection.

http://cubits.org/pics/2013-07...
http://cubits.org/pics/2013-07...

Thanks for letting me know Toni!!

Oh, and that's with very little mulch protection and in semi-arid conditions. I don't keep my plants very well watered as I prefer xeric.

Even better!