Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Epilobium ciliatum
Common name
Glandular Willow-herb
Family
Onagraceae
Where found
Disturbed sites, often in damp situations. Particularly troublesome as a nursery weed. Kosciuszko National Park, the mountains to the north, ACT, and Sydney area. Occasionally elsewhere.
Notes
Introduced perennial, occasionally annual, herb to about 2 m high, often well-branched at the base. Stems sparsely hairy, the hairs often restricted to lines extending down from the leaf bases, glandular hairs present in the flowering region. Lower leaves opposite each other, leaves in the flowering region alternating up the stems. Leaves 2.5–12 cm long, 5–30 mm wide, margins with numerous tiny teeth. Flowers purplish pink or white, with 4 notched petals 3.5–5.5 mm long. Flowers with a conspicuous ring of long hairs inside the floral tube. Seed cases 4.5–8.5 cm long, hairy with short dense, partly glandular, hairs; on stalks 3–10 mm long. Flowers spring–autumn.
Definite identification of Epilobium species requires microscopic examination of the seeds.
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Epilobium~ciliatum (accessed 1 May 2021)
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