Epilobium ciliatum

Himalayan fireweed (Epilobium ciliatum )

The Himalayan fireweed (Epilobium ciliatum, syn. Epilobium Adenocaulon ) is a North American native, occurring in Central Europe as a neophyte plant from the family of the evening primrose family ( Onagraceae ).

Features

The Himalayan willow herb is a perennial, herbaceous plant. It reaches heights of growth from 30 to 80 cm, often from 20 to 140 cm. She has a rather angular stems with two to four raised longitudinal ridges. At least at the top of dense coat to loose glandular. At the base of the plant does not form spurs, very well but a rosette of leaves. The leaves are up to the inflorescence up against constantly. They have a short petiole, are 3 to 10 cm long and 1.8 to 3 cm wide. Their shape is ovate-lanceolate to oblong - lanceolate, the leaf base is rounded or truncate, the leaf margin is serrated.

The inflorescence axis is hairy glandular. The flowers are radial symmetry and have a long tube. The axis tumbler is filled with erect glandular hairs. The corolla forms a funnel. The petals are 2-3, rarely 6 mm long and pale pink to white in color. The stylus is erect, the scar is clavate and head shaped. Bloom time is June to October.

The capsule fruit is hairy protruding glandular. The seeds are about one millimeter long and wear at the top of a short, translucent appendages. They are finely papillose. The papillae are white, pointed and in distinct longitudinal rows, so that the seeds appear white striped.

The species is quite variable and forms in Central Europe with the native species hybrids. Their chromosome number is 2n = 18 or 36

Dissemination

The Himalayan willow herb is native to North America. In Germany it has been proven since 1927. However, the major spread in Europe did not begin until 1950. Nowadays it is mainly the Netherlands, Denmark, Scandinavia, Finland, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland and Russia before in Northern and Western Europe, the UK, France, Germany, Belgium. The species is an invasive new citizens ( neophyte ).

The Himalayan fireweed grows in Central Europe on fresh, loamy, rich soil in clearings and embankments, in gardens, forest edges and in the reeds. It happens to the montane altitudinal zone.

Documents

• Siegmund Seybold (ed.): Schmeil - Fitschen interactive. CD -ROM, Version 1.1, Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2002, ISBN 3-494-01327-6.
• Manfred A. Fischer, Karl Oswald, Wolfgang Adler: Exkursionsflora for Austria, Liechtenstein and South Tyrol. 3rd revised edition. Province of Upper Austria, Biology Centre of the Upper Austrian State Museums, Linz 2008, ISBN 978-3-85474-187-9.
• Ruprecht Duell, Herfried Kutzelnigg: Pocket Dictionary of Plants in Germany. A botanical and ecological excursion companion to the most important species. 6 completely revised edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2005, ISBN 3-494-01397-7.
• Eckhart J. Jäger, Klaus Werner ( eds.): Excursion Flora of Germany. Founded by Werner Roth painter. 10, revised edition. Volume 4: Vascular Plants: Critical band, Elsevier, Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Munich / Heidelberg 2005, ISBN 3-8274-1496-2.