''Epilobium minutum'' is a species of

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 ...

, known by the common names little willowherb, chaparral willowherb and desert willowherb, 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 British English British English is the set of Variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United Kingdom, especially Great Britain. More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in England, or, more broadly, to ...

variant "small-flowered willowherb", typically refers to ''

Epilobium parviflorum ''Epilobium parviflorum'', commonly known as the hoary willowherb or smallflower hairy willowherb, is a herbaceous perennial plant of the family Onagraceae. Etymology The genus name derives from the Greek words "epi" meaning "upon" and "lobos" m ...

''.

This annual wildflower is native to western North America from

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

and

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

. This is a plant of fields and meadows, including

vernal pool Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are seasonal pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals. They are considered to be a distinctive type of wetland usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the saf ...

s, and it is one of the first flowers to spring up in areas recently cleared by

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

Description

''Epilobium minutum'' is a small, spindly plant with thin, branching stems approaching a maximum of in height. The sparse leaves are oval-shaped and long. The stems are topped with few tiny white to light purple flowers with notched petals each a few millimeters long. The fruit is a capsule in length. It is a much smaller plant than most members of the genus, referenced by both the specific name ''minutum'' as well as some of its common names.

References

External links

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Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Epilobium minutum''''Epilobium minutum'' - U.C. Photo gallery
minutum Flora of Western Canada Flora of the Northwestern United States Flora of Arizona Flora of Nevada Flora of Oregon Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Flora of California Flora without expected TNC conservation status Taxa named by Johann Georg Christian Lehmann {{Myrtales-stub