''Epilobium hirsutum'' is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

belonging to the willowherb genus '' Epilobium'' in the family

Onagraceae The Onagraceae are a family of flowering plants known as the willowherb family or evening primrose family. They include about 650 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees Local names include codlins-and-cream, apple-pie and cherry-pie.

Description

It is a tall,

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

plant, reaching up to 2 metres in height. The robust stems are profusely hairy with soft spreading hairs. The hairy leaves are 2–12 cm long and 0.5–3.5 cm wide. They are long and thin and are widest below the middle. They have sharply toothed edges and no stalk. The large flowers have four notched

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s. These are purple-pink and are usually 10–16 mm long. The stigma is white and has four lobes. The

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s are green. It is relatively easy to distinguish from similar species at least in much of its European range, where its flowers are among species of its genus present there.

Distribution and habitat

The native range of the species includes North Africa, most of Europe up to southern Sweden, and parts of Asia. It is absent from much of

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

and north-west

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. It has been introduced to North America and Australia. It typically grows in wet or damp habitats without dense tree-cover up to 2,500 metres above sea-level. Common habitats include

marshland In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in general ...

and the banks of rivers and streams. It also occurs in anthropogenic contexts such as wet ditches and in general in places rich in

nitrate Nitrate is a polyatomic ion with the chemical formula . salt (chemistry), Salts containing this ion are called nitrates. Nitrates are common components of fertilizers and explosives. Almost all inorganic nitrates are solubility, soluble in wa ...

s. It flowers from June to September, with a peak in July and August.

Ecology

''Epilobium hirsutum'' inhabits damp and waste places, river-sides and ditches. The flowers are visited by many types of insects, and can be characterized by a generalized

pollination syndrome Pollination syndromes are suites of flower traits that have evolved in response to natural selection imposed by different Pollination, pollen vectors, which can be abiotic (wind and water) or biotic, such as birds, bees, flies, and so forth thro ...

. A number of insects feed on the leaves including the elephant hawkmoth, ''Deilephila elpenor''.

Trichomes

The plant shows glandular

trichome Trichomes (; ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a plant ...

s. They are unicellular, without a specialized basal cell. They have a cutinized cell wall and a protruding pore on the top. The upper part of the trichome cell contains

flavonoids Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids; from the Latin word ''flavus'', meaning yellow, their color in nature) are a class of polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants, and thus commonly consumed in the diets of humans. Chemically, flavonoids ...

, ''e.g.'' quercitrin and myricitrin. Epilobium hirsutum - Seed head - Triptych

References

Bibliography

*Blamey, Marjorie & Grey-Wilson, Christopher (2003) ''Cassell's Wild Flowers of Britain and Northern Europe'', Cassell, London. *Press, J. R.; Sutton, D. A. & Tebbs, B. M. (1981) ''Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of Britain'', Reader's Digest, London. * *Tutin, T. G. ''et al.'' (1968) ''Flora Europaea'', Volume 2. Cambridge University Press. {{Taxonbar, from=Q161366 hirsutum Flora of Europe Flora of Lebanon Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus