Plant · GBIF taxon 9188840
fringed willowherb
Epilobium ciliatumAlso known as American Willowherb, Slender Willow Herb, Northern Willow Herb
Fringed willowherb thrives in damp, disturbed habitats across temperate regions, quickly colonizing garden beds, stream banks, and gravelly waste sites. Its erect stems bear small, pale pink to rose four-petaled flowers that give way to long, slender seed capsules. When mature, these capsules split open to release hundreds of minute, silky-plumed seeds that drift effortlessly on summer breezes.
FloweringPioneer SpeciesWind-Dispersed
1 / 7—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Sunlight
- Water
- Soil Nutrients
Predators
- Elephant Hawk-moth Caterpillars
- Aphids
- Deer
ThreatsWeed control, herbicide application
HabitatsWetlands, garden beds, roadsides, stream banks
Life spanPerennial
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderMyrtales
- FamilyOnagraceae
- GenusEpilobium
- SpeciesEpilobium ciliatum
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Identification: Examine the four notched petals and long slender seed pods.
- Seed Viewing: Watch the long pods split open in late summer to release silky airborne seeds.
Close Relative kallerna / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
Genus Relative (c) Kai Löhr, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Kai Löhr · cc-by
Genus Relative (c) Kevin Thiele, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
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