''Epilobium hirsutum'' is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

belonging to the willowherb genus ''

Epilobium ''Epilobium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Onagraceae, containing about 197 species. The genus has a worldwide distribution. It is most prevalent in the subarctic, temperate and subantarctic regions, whereas in the subtropics and ...

'' 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 A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

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 Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

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 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s are green.

Distribution

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; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

and north-west

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. 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 A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

, ditches and the banks of rivers and streams. It flowers from June to September, with a peak in July and August. 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 pollen vectors, which can be abiotic (wind and water) or biotic, such as birds, bees, flies, and so forth through a process c ...

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

Ecology

''Epilobium hirsutum'' inhabits damp and waste places, river-sides and ditches.

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 pla ...

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 Quercitrin is a glycoside formed from the flavonoid quercetin and the deoxy sugar rhamnose. Austrian chemist Heinrich Hlasiwetz (1825-1875) is remembered for his chemical analysis of quercitrin. Occurrence Quercitrin is a constituent of the ...

and

myricitrin Myricitrin is a plant compound, the 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside of myricetin. Occurrences It can be isolated from the root bark of ''Myrica cerifera'' (Bayberry, a small tree native to North America), in '' Myrica esculenta'', in '' Nymphaea lotus ...

Epilobium hirsutum - Seed head - Triptych

References

External links

*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