Flora of North America species comparison

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Epilobium oregonense

Epilobium obscurum

Oregon willowherb, slim-stem willowweed

dwarf willowherb, obscure willow-herb
Habit Herbs with slender stolons to 18 cm with minute, rounded leaves. Herbs with elongated, leafy epigeal stolons.
Stems

erect or ascending, often loosely matted, often flushed purple distally, terete, 8–30(–40) cm, simple or sparsely branched from base, subglabrous.

erect or ascending, subterete, 20–80 cm, often well branched from base, sometimes also distally, subglabrous proximal to inflorescence with raised strigillose lines decurrent from margins of petioles, strigillose distally.
Leaves

opposite proximal to inflorescence, alternate distally, subsessile;

blade broadly elliptic proximally, narrowly elliptic or lanceolate to sublinear distally, 5–25 × 1–7 mm, longer than internodes proximally to much shorter distally, base cuneate to rounded, margins subentire, veins extremely faint, 3–5 per side, apex obtuse, surfaces subglabrous;

bracts extremely reduced and linear.

opposite proximal to inflorescence, alternate distally, petiole 0–2 mm;

blade green or slightly bluish green, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 1.5–10 × 0.4–1.8 cm, ± shorter than internodes, base rounded to attenuate, margins denticulate with 15–40 evenly spaced teeth per side, veins prominent, 3–7 per side, apex subacute, surfaces sparsely strigillose, mainly on margins and veins;

bracts gradually reduced.
Inflorescences

usually erect, sometimes nodding in bud, racemes, open, unbranched, sparsely strigillose and glandular puberulent.

erect racemes or sparse panicles, strigillose.
Flowers

suberect or nodding;

buds 2–3.5 × 1–1.5 mm, apex blunt;

pedicel 2–7 mm;

floral tube 0.8–1.8 × 1–2.1 mm, with faint ring of hairs at mouth inside;

sepals often flushed purple, 2.5–4.5 × 1–1.6 mm;

petals white to pink, 5–8 × 2.8–4 mm, apical notch 0.8–1.5 mm;

filaments white, those of longer stamens 2.8–4.5 mm, those of shorter ones 2–3.8 mm;

anthers yellow-cream, 0.8–1.2 × 0.4–0.5 mm;

ovary green to purple, 8–14 mm, sparsely strigillose and glandular puberulent;

style white, 3.8–4.8 mm, glabrous, stigma subcapitate, 1–1.4 × 1–1.2 mm, surrounded by longer anthers.

erect;

buds 2–5 × 1–2.5 mm;

pedicel 2–14 mm;

floral tube 0.8–1 × 1.1–1.5 mm, conspicuous ring of spreading hairs at mouth inside, mixed strigillose and sparse glandular puberulent externally;

sepals lanceolate, somewhat keeled, 2.5–4 × 1–1.3 mm, abaxial surface strigillose;

petals rose-purple, 3.5–6 × 1.8–3 mm, apical notch 0.8–1.4 mm;

filaments pale pink, those of longer stamens 2–2.2 mm, those of shorter ones 0.8–1.3 mm;

anthers yellow, 0.7–0.8 × 0.4–0.5 mm;

ovary 12–38 mm, strigillose;

style white, 2.5–3.5 mm, glabrous, stigma clavate, 1.5–2 × 0.6–0.8 mm, surrounded by longer anthers.
Capsules

slender, often purplish green, 21–40(–52) mm, surfaces subglabrous;

pedicel 20–65 mm.

40–70 mm, surfaces strigillose;

pedicel 4–16 mm.
Seeds

narrowlyoblanceoloid or subfusiform, 1–1.4 × 0.4–0.6 mm, chalazal collar 0.1–0.2 mm, light brown, surface low papillose;

coma persistent, whitish, 3–4 mm.

narrowly obovoid, 0.9–1 × 0.3–0.4 mm, chalazal collar inconspicuous, brown, surface coarsely papillose;

coma readily detached, dull white, 4–5 mm.
2n

= 36.

= 36.

Epilobium oregonense

Epilobium obscurum
Phenology Flowering Jul–Aug. Flowering Jul–Aug.
Habitat Montane to subalpine boggy or mossy areas, wet meadows, protected, semi-shaded stream banks. Ruderal areas, banks of ditches, streams, edges of swampy areas.
Elevation 1200–3000(–3500) m. (3900–9800(–11500) ft.) 0–200[–500] m. (0–700[–1600] ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
MI; WA; BC; Europe [Introduced in North America; introduced also in South America (Chile), Africa (Morocco), Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia (Tasmania)]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Epilobium oregonense is a distinctive western North American endemic, found primarily throughout the Cascade–Sierra mountain complex barely into the Transverse Ranges of southern California, and very scattered through the Rocky Mountains. It is exceedingly rare in Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico.

Even though Epilobium oregonense bears some similarity to E. anagallidifolium and other members of the Alpinae group, and often grows in close proximity to them, this species does not share the derived CC chromosomal arrangement with that group, instead having the more globally widespread BB arrangement. The similarities with E. anagallidifolium include the small stature, small, obtuse, and subentire leaves, and long pedicels in fruit; however, E. oregonense differs by its long, threadlike stolons, distal leaves extremely narrow and reduced in size relative to the internodes, and near complete absence of pubescence on the plant, including a lack of raised lines of hairs on the stems.

Another species with which Epilobium oregonense has been confused is E. hallianum, but that species always forms condensed basal turions, is more strictly erect, and generally has larger and more denticulate leaves. The distinctive and diagnostic stolons of E. oregonense are similar to those found in E. palustre and related species (all of which also have the BB chromosome arrangement), except that those of E. oregonense never terminate in a condensed turion, as found in those other species. The exact affinities of E. oregonense remain uncertain, but it appears to be most closely related to the E. palustre complex.

Some specimens of Epilobium oregonense grow as floating mats in cold streams; these specimens are notably large, with particularly strong development of basal stolons and larger, more lanceolate leaves. As evidenced by mixed herbarium collections, E. oregonense grows sympatrically with several congeners, including E. anagallidifolium, E. ciliatum subspp. ciliatum and glandulosum, E. hallianum, and E. hornemannii, and hybridizes occasionally, at least with E. ciliatum subsp. ciliatum and E. hornemannii.

Epilobium oregonense var. gracillimum Trelease, which pertains here, was not validly published, and other names based on it are also invalid.

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

Epilobium obscurum, native throughout Europe and the European part of Russia except the far north, to Turkey and the Azores, is one of several Eurasian species that has naturalized in North America, following multiple early introductions around east coast port cities, and later around the Great Lakes. E. G. Voss(1972–1996, vol. 2) reported a collection of E. obscurum made in 1927 in Michigan near Detroit, but despite efforts by Voss and others, no additional collections of this species have been detected in that area, suggesting that it failed to become naturalized there.

In the Pacific Northwest, W. Suksdorf grew and collected at least six European taxa in his garden in Bingen (Klickitat County, Washington); this included E. obscurum (as early as 1922) but none of those taxa became naturalized. However, one or more independent new introductions in the Seattle (P. Zika, pers. comm.) and Vancouver (F. Lomer, pers. comm.) regions appear to be more persistent and the species should be considered naturalized there.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 10. FNA vol. 10.
Parent taxa Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Epilobieae > Epilobium > sect. Epilobium Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Epilobieae > Epilobium > sect. Epilobium
Sibling taxa
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. montanum, E. nevadense, E. nivium, E. obcordatum, E. obscurum, E. oreganum, 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. montanum, E. nevadense, E. nivium, E. obcordatum, E. oreganum, E. oregonense, E. pallidum, E. palustre, E. parviflorum, E. rigidum, E. saximontanum, E. septentrionale, E. siskiyouense, E. smithii, E. suffruticosum, E. torreyi
Name authority Haussknecht: Monogr. Epilobium, 276, plate 14, fig. 66. (1884) Schreber: Spic. Fl. Lips., 147, [155]. (1771)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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