E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Epilobium hornemannii Rchb. subsp. hornemannii
Hornemann's willowherb
Onagraceae (Evening Primrose family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Jamie Fenneman  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #4211)

E-Flora BC Static Map
Distribution of Epilobium hornemannii subsp. hornemannii
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Species Information

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General:
Perennial herb from short, leafy stolons; stems 10-45 cm tall, loosely clumped, short stiff-hairy in lines below, glandular short stiff-hairy above (in inflorescence).
Leaves:
Broadly elliptic to narrowly egg-shaped below, lance- to narrowly egg-shaped above, 1.5-5.5 cm long, 0.7-2.9 cm wide, finely toothed, glabrous but margins sometimes fringed with short, stiff hairs.
Flowers:
Inflorescence an erect or nodding, terminal raceme; hypanthium 1-2.2 mm long; petals 3-9 mm long, rose to pink, rarely white, notched at tip; sepals 2-4.5 mm long, somewhat glandular; ovaries 1.5-2.5 cm long; anthers 0.4-1.2 mm long; styles 1.7-4.2 mm long; stigmas club-shaped or cylindric.
Fruits:
Capsules, 4-6.5 cm long, linear, green, with scattered glandular and short, stiff hairs; stalks 5-15 mm long; seeds narrowly egg-shaped, 0.9-1.2 mm long, pimply, tuft of hairs white, 6-11 mm long, readily detaching.
Notes:
Two subspecies occur in BC:

1. Flowering plants with several pairs of broad, withered, persistent leaves at base; leaves relatively thick, margins sharply toothed................. ssp. behringianum (Hausskn.) Hoch & Raven

1. Flowering plants lacking broad, withered leaves at base; leaves relatively thin, margins entire or bluntly toothed...................... ssp. hornemannii

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Wet to moist rocky cliffs, meadows, thickets, and river banks in the montane zone; frequent throughout BC, especially along coast (ssp. hornemannii) to rare (ssp. behringianum), found only on the Queen Charlotte Islands; circumboreal, N to AK, YT and NT, E to PQ and NF and S to ME, NM and CA; E Asia.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Epilobium hornemannii ssp. hornemannii

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum

Elevation (metres) 1470 1535 1600
Slope Gradient (%) 11 13 15
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]
80 120 160
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
6 6 6
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
D
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
2
Modal BEC Zone Class
ESSF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: ESSF(1), ICH(1)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Epilobium alpinum var. nutans Hornem.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References