Photographs: Ballingeary, Co. Cork

Short-fruited Willowherb Epilobium obscurum saileachán caol Family: Onagraceae Flowering time: July-August. Perennial. Native. Pink-purple flowers with four notched petals and a club-shaped stigma. Leaves are oval-lanceolate, un-stalked and toothed, the lower leaves opposite, the upper alternate. Stems with 4 raised ridges. A slightly hairy plant producing elongated runners in the summer. Frequent throughout Ireland on neutral to slightly acidic soils in moist woodland, stream edges, marshes and on walls and waste ground Similar: Square-stalked Willowherb, E. tetragonum. Rare in Ireland.

Short-fruited Willowherb, Epilobium obscurum, saileachán caol