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alpine willow-herb, pimpernel willow-herb, épilobe à feuilles de mouron

broad-leaf willow-herb, tooth willow-herb, willowherb

Habit Herbs with spreading thin, small-leafed epigeous soboles to 5 cm. Herbs with short, basal stolons terminating in fleshy or leafy rosettes at, or just below, ground level.
Stems

many, ascending, often sigmoidally bent, nodding distally, later erect, clumped or mat-forming, terete, 3–20(–25) cm, simple, subglabrous, sometimes with faint raised strigillose lines decurrent from margins of petioles, rarely mixed strigillose and sparsely glandular puberulent distally.

erect, terete, (5–)20–95 cm, often well branched, especially distally, densely strigillose proximal to inflorescence, without decurrent lines, mixed strigillose and glandular puberulent distally.

Leaves

opposite and crowded proximal to inflorescence, alternate distally, petioles 1–6 mm, rarely subsessile distally;

blade spatulate to oblong proximally, elliptic to narrowly lanceolate or sublinear distally, (0.5–)0.8–2.5 × 0.3–1 cm, base attenuate to cuneate, margins subentire proximally, sparsely denticulate distally with 2–5 low teeth per side, veins obscure, 2–4 per side, apex obtuse or rounded proximally to subacute distally, surfaces subglabrous;

bracts reduced, usually much narrower.

opposite proximal to inflorescence, alternate distally, petiole 1–6 mm;

blade dark green, narrowly ovate to ovate, 3–8 × 1.5–3.4 cm, subequal to internodes, base broadly cuneate to truncate, margins irregularly serrulate with 20–30 teeth per side, veins prominent, 3–5 per side, apex acuminate to acute, surfaces strigillose, especially along veins and margins;

bracts much reduced.

Inflorescences

nodding in bud, later suberect, few-flowered racemes, subglabrous to sparsely strigillose and/or glandular puberulent.

nodding to erect, racemes or loose panicles, strigillose and glandular puberulent.

Flowers

suberect;

buds 2–5 × 1–2 mm;

pedicel 1–6(–15) mm;

floral tube 0.6–1.2 × 0.8–1.8 mm, slightly raised subglabrous ring at mouth inside;

sepals green to reddish purple, 1.5–5 × 0.6–1.5 mm, abaxial surface subglabrous to sparsely glandular;

petals usually pink to rose-purple, rarely white, narrowly obcordate, (1.7–)2.5–6.5(–8) × 1.6–3.5 mm, apical notch 0.5–1.2 mm;

filaments cream to light pink, those of longer stamens 1.4–3.2 mm, those of shorter ones 0.7–2 mm;

anthers 0.3–0.6 × 0.2–0.4 mm;

ovary often reddish purple, 6–20 mm, subglabrous or sparsely strigillose and glandular puberulent;

style white, 1.2–2.5 mm, glabrous, stigma broadly clavate to subcapitate, entire, 0.9–1.5 × 0.4–0.7 mm, surrounded by longer anthers.

erect;

buds 4–5x 1.5–3 mm;

pedicel 2–18 mm;

floral tube 1.2–2 × 1.5–2.5 mm, conspicuous ring of spreading hairs at mouth inside;

sepals often flushed red, keeled, 5–6.5 × 1.2–1.7 mm, abaxial surface strigillose and glandular puberulent;

petals rose-purple, obcordate, 7.5–10 × 4–5.5 mm, apical notch 2.7–4.2 mm;

filaments light pink, those of longer stamens 3.5–5.5 mm, those of shorter ones 1.5–2.4 mm;

anthers yellow, 1–1.2 × 0.5–0.6 mm;

ovary 20–30 mm, strigillose and glandular puberulent;

style rose-purple to white, 3.5–7.5 mm, glabrous or with scattered long hairs near base, stigma deeply 4-lobed, 1.5–2 × 2.5–4 mm, lobes 1.2–1.8 mm, exserted beyond or, sometimes, surrounded by anthers.

Capsules

slender, often reddish purple, 17–40(–55) mm, surfaces subglabrous or with scattered hairs;

pedicel 5–35(–68) mm.

40–80 mm, surfaces strigillose and glandular puberulent;

pedicel 8–20 mm.

Seeds

narrowly obovoid, 0.7–1.4 × 0.3–0.5 mm, inconspicuous chalazal collar 0.1–0.2 mm wide, light brown, surface reticulate (smooth);

coma persistent, dull white, 2–4 mm.

obovoid, 1–1.2 × 0.4–0.5 mm, chalazal collar inconspicuous, 0.6–0.8 mm wide, brown, surface coarsely papillose;

coma readily detached, dull white, 5–6 mm.

2n

= 36.

= 36.

Epilobium anagallidifolium

Epilobium montanum

Phenology Flowering Jun–Sep. Flowering Jul–Aug.
Habitat Moist flats, stream banks, subarctic coastal marsh edges, high montane and alpine meadows and seeps. Moist rocky banks, gravelly slopes, open woods, disturbed or waste areas.
Elevation 0–4500 m. [0–14800 ft.] 0–150[–1500] m. [0–500[–4900] ft.]
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CA; CO; ID; ME; MT; NH; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NL; NT; NU; QC; YT; Greenland; Eurasia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ME; BC; NF; Europe; Asia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Pacific Islands (New Zealand)]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Epilobium anagallidifolium is widely but sparsely distributed in high montane-alpine and subarctic Eurasia, including Europe, Russia, China, and Japan.

Epilobium anagallidifolium usually forms low clumps or mats, with stems nodding in bud and usually subglabrous below the inflorescence. Many collections of E. anagallidifolium from eastern Canada and Greenland tend to be unusually tall (to 25 cm) and robust for the species, with somewhat larger, thicker leaves, and longer pedicels (to 60 mm). Similarly large and robust specimens occur scattered in Yukon and Washington, and may result from occasional hybridization and introgression with sympatric species such as E. hornemannii or E. lactiflorum, which also have the CC chromosomal arrangement. In an analysis of Fennoscandian populations of the Alpinae group, I. Kytövuori (1972) found a similar pattern of mostly smaller, sigmoidal plants of E. anagallidifolium with a small proportion of larger ones, and he also suggested the possibility of hybridization and/or introgression.

Plants of Epilobium anagallidifolium, and indeed of the whole Alpinae group, from Haida Gwaii (the Queen Charlotte Islands) of British Columbia (J. A. Calder and R. L. Taylor 1968), are particularly distinctive compared to those on the mainland, and difficult to interpret. The observed differences may be the result of hybridization with other sympatric species or a response to unique ecological conditions on the islands, reinforced by relative isolation from mainland British Columbia.

The Linnaean name Epilobium alpinum has long been a source of nomenclatural confusion and instability, since it circumscribed at least four distinct species, especially E. anagallidifolium. A proposal by P. C. Hoch et al. (1995) to permanently reject the name E. alpinum Linnaeus was approved.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Epilobium montanum is native and widely distributed throughout Europe and in Asia at least as far east as the Ural Mountains and the Caucasus, and in Japan (A. W. Lievens and P. C. Hoch 1999). It also is questionably naturalized on Campbell Island, New Zealand (P. H. Raven and T. E. Raven 1976). Although E. montanum was first collected in 1894 in the vicinity of St. John’s, Newfoundland, and clearly naturalized in that area, it does not appear to have spread appreciably in eastern North America, unlike European adventives such as E. hirsutum or E. parviflorum. The collection by F. C. Seymour in 1971 in Maine may be an independent introduction. Collections of E. montanum in the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden in Vancouver appeared to have been ephemeral, but more recent collections in ruderal areas in that region suggest that it has naturalized there. Like other European introductions, E. montanum has the BB chromosome arrangement (S. R. Seavey and P. H. Raven 1977).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Parent taxa Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Epilobieae > Epilobium > sect. Epilobium Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Epilobieae > Epilobium > sect. Epilobium
Sibling taxa
E. arcticum, E. brachycarpum, E. campestre, E. canum, E. ciliatum, E. clavatum, E. cleistogamum, E. coloratum, E. davuricum, E. densiflorum, E. densum, E. foliosum, E. glaberrimum, E. hallianum, E. hirsutum, E. hornemannii, E. howellii, E. lactiflorum, E. leptocarpum, E. leptophyllum, E. luteum, E. minutum, E. mirabile, E. montanum, E. nevadense, E. nivium, E. obcordatum, E. obscurum, E. oreganum, E. oregonense, E. pallidum, E. palustre, E. parviflorum, E. rigidum, E. saximontanum, E. septentrionale, E. siskiyouense, E. smithii, E. suffruticosum, E. torreyi
E. anagallidifolium, E. arcticum, E. brachycarpum, E. campestre, E. canum, E. ciliatum, E. clavatum, E. cleistogamum, E. coloratum, E. davuricum, E. densiflorum, E. densum, E. foliosum, E. glaberrimum, E. hallianum, E. hirsutum, E. hornemannii, E. howellii, E. lactiflorum, E. leptocarpum, E. leptophyllum, E. luteum, E. minutum, E. mirabile, E. nevadense, E. nivium, E. obcordatum, E. obscurum, E. oreganum, E. oregonense, E. pallidum, E. palustre, E. parviflorum, E. rigidum, E. saximontanum, E. septentrionale, E. siskiyouense, E. smithii, E. suffruticosum, E. torreyi
Synonyms E. alpinum, E. pseudoscaposum Chamaenerion montanum
Name authority Lamarck in J. Lamarck et al.: Encycl. 2: 376. (1786) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 348. (1753)
Source FNA vol. 10. Treatment author: Peter C. Hoch. FNA vol. 10. Treatment author: Peter C. Hoch.
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