Rosebay Willowherb
by Linsey Williams
Title
Rosebay Willowherb
Artist
Linsey Williams
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Courtesy of Wikipedia.
Willowherbs are mostly herbaceous plants, either annual or perennial;
Willowherbs are typically very quick to carpet large swathes of ground and may become key or dominant species of local ecosystems. In and around the United Kingdom, for example, rosebay willowherb (E. angustifolium) is widely found in mesotrophic grassland dominated by false oat-grass (Arrhenatherum elatius), cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata), and red fescue (Festuca rubra), while great willowherb (Epilobium hirsutum) is found in mesotrophic grassland with stinging nettle (Urtica dioica). These two willowherb species are also seen to dominate open habitat early in ecological succession, to the virtual exclusion of other plant life. Broad-leaved willowherb (Epilobium montanum) is found characteristically, though not abundantly, in the mesotrophic grasslands with meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) and sometimes the uncommon Greek valerian (Polemonium caeruleum), which are peculiar to the Pennines. Most willowherbs will not tolerate shade trees and thus are limited to more recently disturbed patches, yielding to other plants over time. Consequently, though the genus contains many pioneer plants, rather few of them are invasive weeds of major importance.
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March 10th, 2014
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