Identification Characteristics
Epilobium Parviflorum or Small Flowered Willow Herb is a rare herb originally from central europe now found in marshes, beside burns or areas of disturbed soil.
The plant gets its name from the small flowers it produces at only 6-9 mm in diameter. The plants leaves 3-7 cm long and Plants typically grow 30-60 cm tall.
Stigma 4-lobed, as in picture (white object in centre of flower). Stem densely covered with spreading hairs (visible in picture as a fuzzy effect). Told from Epilobium hirsutum by being much smaller in all parts and the flowers a pale purple colour.
Other features: Leaves unstalked, but their edges not at all decurrent onto stem, unlike E hirsutum. Apart from these two, the other Epilobium with a 4-lobed stigma is E montanum, which is not densely hairy and has stalked leaves.
Adult plant:- Height: 20-80 cm.
- Stem erect or ascending, mostly simple, terete, stiffly hairy.
- Leaves lower in small rosette ; leaves opposite, oblong, lanceolate, slightly toothed, sessile, longer than broad.
- Flowers light-purple,isolated in the axil of smaller upper leaves, 6-9 mm in diameter, petals 3-9 mm long, sepals equalling 2/3 of the length of petals. Stigmas with 4-crossed lobes.
- Fruit : capsule 3.5-8 cm long, with small and jointed hairs.
- Plant used as counter-irritant and astringent. Rare in crops.
- Biological type: Perennial with rhizomes.
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