Willowherb
Epilobium billardierianum
Distribution in Canberra Region. Widespread & common in the region. Favours moist and disturbed soil.
Dispersal. Seeds are dispersed by wind, water and animals.
General Description and Biology
A tufted drought-resistant perennial.
Stems about 30-50 cm tall, bearing multiple leaflets radiating most of the way up the stems.
Leaves of the rosette are hairy, to 4 cm long and 1.5 cm wide with serrated margins.
Flowers in spring and summer, pink or whitish.
A very attractive herb, found mostly in moist or disturbed areas in grassland.
Can look at first sight like a young saffron thistle or St John's wort.
Can be inadvertently cut off when slashing saffron thistles with brushcutter.
Willowherb will eventually form a dense clump in which saffron thistles can hardly get established, so it is doubly worthwhile to avoid slashing it.