Epilobium montanum L.
Broad-leaved Willowherb
Broad-leaved willowherb is a common native perennial found throughout Britain, often turning up unbidden in gardens, on walls, paths, hedge banks and shaded waste ground. A slimmer, more modest plant than its great willowherb relative, it grows to roughly 60-75cm on slender, rounded stems bearing broadly oval to lance-shaped, toothed leaves arranged mostly in opposite pairs.
About
Broad-leaved willowherb is a common native perennial found throughout Britain, often turning up unbidden in gardens, on walls, paths, hedge banks and shaded waste ground. A slimmer, more modest plant than its great willowherb relative, it grows to roughly 60-75cm on slender, rounded stems bearing broadly oval to lance-shaped, toothed leaves arranged mostly in opposite pairs. From June through August it produces small pale pink flowers, usually under a centimetre across, each with four notched petals and a four-lobed stigma that helps separate it from similar species.
Undemanding and shade-tolerant, it grows on a wide range of soils, including thin, stony ground, and is one of the first colonisers of bare or disturbed sites. The flowers offer nectar to small bees and hoverflies, while the plumed seeds disperse freely on the breeze, which is why it appears so readily in cultivated ground. More a useful native opportunist than a border plant, it is welcome in informal and wildlife-friendly corners.
Also known as
broadleaf willowherb · toothed willowherb
Synonyms
Chamaenerion montanum · Epilobium bonsdorffii · Epilobium collinum saxatile · Epilobium glabrum · Epilobium heterocaule · Epilobium hypericifolium · Epilobium laeve · Epilobium larambergianum · Epilobium losae · Epilobium montanum albiflorum
Beta — under active development. This catalogue is still being built and accuracy-checked. The information here (including plant identifications, British native status, soil and sun/shade preferences) is provided in good faith for general guidance only and may contain errors or omissions. It must not be relied upon on its own — please confirm details with us before making planting, specification, foraging or purchasing decisions, and never eat or medicinally use any plant based on this catalogue alone, as some species are toxic. To the extent permitted by law, Phoenix Amenity Supplies accepts no liability for any loss arising from use of this information.