Fleischer's Willow-Herb 



(EPILOBIUM FLEISCHERl) 



This plant is fairly common in the Alps and grows in dry- 

 stony places, especially amongst the boulders of dried-up 

 torrent beds and beside some of the streams ; with some of 

 these it descends towards the plains. Like not a few of the 

 ess common Alpine plants, where it is found at all, it is usually 

 met with in great abundance. The flowers which open out 

 in July are of great beauty, and their arrangements to 

 prevent self-poUination are of considerable interest. The 

 stamens first ripen, and while these are held erect the stigma 

 is bent downward and the four segments into which it is 

 divided above are closely pressed together. (Most of the 

 flowers are in this stage in the photograph.) When the 

 pollen is shed the stamens bend downward, and not till then 

 does the stigma rise in the centre of the flower and its four 

 lips become separated from one another. 



The flowers of Fleischer's Willow-herb closely re- 

 semble those of the Rose-bay {Epilobium angustifolium)^ 

 common in bushy places all over England, Switzerland, and 

 Central Europe. But the Rose-bay is a bigger plant with 

 tall, usually unbranched stem and much larger leaves, which 

 are veined underneath. As will be seen by the photo- 

 graph, the leaves of Fleischer's Willow-herb are narrow and 

 lance-shaped, and the few veins that can be made out 



34 



