ONAGRACEAE 



EVENING PRIMROSE FAMILY 



GREAT WILLOW HERB. FIREWEED 



Epilohiiun angustifolium L. 



The Great Willow Herb or Fireweed is common in open 

 places across the continent from North Carolina, Kansas and 

 California to Greenland and Alaska. It also occurs in Europe 

 and Asia. It is especially abundant in 

 recently cleared and burned forest 

 areas, coming up thickly in such places 

 as though in protest against the reckless 

 destruction of woods. The young 

 tender shoots are sometimes used as 

 "greens." 



This is a showy perennial herb with 

 a rather stout, simple or branched stem 

 that grows 2-8 feet high. The lanceolate 

 leaves are pinnately veined and almost 

 entire. The pedicels of the young buds 

 are turned downward but they become 

 erect before the flower opens. 

 The limb of the brownish calyx 

 is 4-divided to the top of the 

 ovary, and the 4 large petals are 

 narrow, entire and violet-purple. 

 There are 8 stamens and i style 

 with a stigma having 4 long lobes. 

 Usually as the flower opens, the stamens and 

 style are turned down. After the stamens have 

 straightened up and the anthers opened suc- 

 cessively, the style straightens and the stigma 

 opens. The fruits are slender 4-angled capsules \\ ([^ 

 containing numerous small seeds, each with 

 a coma. 



The Northern Willow Herb, Epilobium coloratum Muhl., is 

 common in low grounds in Illinois. It is a bushy species 1-3 teet 

 high, distinguished by its lance-shaped, toothed leaves which are 

 conspicuously red-purple veined. They may grow to lengths of 5-6 

 inches with corresponding widths of one-half to three-quarters ot 

 an inch. The flowers are much like those in the above species, and 

 the coma when mature is cinnamon color. The plant occurs south- 

 westward from Maine to Nebraska, and blooms from July to 

 September. 



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