Epilobium mirabile Trel. ex Piper
hairy-stemmed willowherb (Olympic Mountain willowherb)
Onagraceae (Evening Primrose family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Jamie Fenneman     (Photo ID #46943)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Epilobium mirabile
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Species Information

General:
Perennial herb from compact, fleshy underground stolon; stems often clumped, 7-30 cm tall, densely short stiff-hairy, lacking lines of hairs, with fleshy winter buds at base.
Leaves:
Leathery, egg-shaped and blunt-tipped below, narrowly egg-shaped and pointed above, 1.5-3 cm long, 7-12 mm wide, sparsely short stiff-hairy, also densely hairy on midrib and margins; unstalked.
Flowers:
Inflorescence erect; petals 3.8-5 mm long, white and often red-tinged at tips; sepals 2-3.2 mm long, sparsely glandular-hairy, often purplish-red; anthers 0.4-0.6 mm long; ovaries 1-1.8 cm long, stiff-short- and glandular-hairy; styles 2-2.3 mm long; stigmas nearly globe-shaped.
Fruits:
Capsules, 3-4.5 cm long, 2-3 mm wide; seeds narrowly egg-shaped, 1.7-2.2 mm long, tuft of hairs white, 10-15 mm long, readily detaching.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Habitat and Range

Moist scree slopes in the montane and subalpine zones; rare in SW BC in the Cascade Mountains; E to SW AB and S to MT and W WA.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Taxonomic Notes

"Epilobium mirabile is a bicentral regional endemic of the Cascade and Olympic Mountains in northwest Washington and adjacent B.C, and with an eastern centre of populations in the Rocky Mountains in southern Alberta and northern Montana." (Bjork 2008).

References

Bjork, Curtis. 2008. Noteworthy plants from the Cascade Lee, British Columbia. Botanical Electronic News. No. 401 (November 26, 2008). Available: http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ben401.html.