hairy willow herb

plant
Also known as: Epilobium hirsutum, codling-and-cream

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description

  • fireweed
    In Epilobium

    The hairy willow herb, or codling-and-cream (E. hirsutum), up to 2 m (6 feet) high, is similar to fireweed but has hairy leaves and stalks and notched flower petals; it is found in waste places in eastern North America. Rock fringe (E. obcordatum) is a prostrate…

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Also called:
great willow herb or wickup
Related Topics:
Epilobium

fireweed, (Epilobium angustifolium), perennial wildflower, in the evening primrose family (Onagraceae), abundant on newly clear and burned areas. Its spikes of whitish to magenta flowers, which grow up to 1.5 m (5 feet) high, can be a spectacular sight on prairies of the temperate zone. Like those of many weedy plants, its seeds can lie dormant for many years, awaiting the warmth necessary for germination. Fireweed is one of the first plants to appear after a forest or brush fire; it also rapidly covers scrub or woodland areas that have been cleared by machine.

Fireweed has limited use in wild gardens, where it must be carefully checked and confined. The willowlike young shoots and leaves can be cooked and eaten.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Richard Pallardy.