Willowherb, Short-fruited

Information on Short-fruited Willowherb

Common Name: Short-fruited Willowherb
Scientific Name: Epilobium obscurum
Irish Name: Saileachán caol
Family Group: Onagraceae
Distribution: View Map (Courtesy of the BSBI)
Flowering Period


Click for list of all flowering by month
Short-fruited Willowherb could sometimes be confused with:

Willowherb, American, Willowherb, Marsh,

This is an upright perennial which grows on marshes and by rivers, on rocks and waste ground.  It has pink flowers (6-8mm across) with 4 notched petals and a distinct club-shaped stigma and they bloom in July and August.  It has a branched stem with ridges running down from the base of each leaf.  The leaves are unstalked, mostly opposite, toothed and oval-lanceolate.  The pods containing the cottony seeds are 4-6cm long. This is a native wildflower and it belongs to the family Onagraceae.

I first identified this plant in Gibletstown, Co Wexford in 2008 at which time I also photographed it.   

If you are satisfied you have correctly identified this plant, please submit your sighting to the National Biodiversity Data Centre

This plant hybridises with Epilobium montanum, Epilobium palustre and Epilobium parviflorum. 

Willowherb, Short-fruited
Willowherb, Short-fruited
Willowherb, Short-fruited