Epilobium angustifolium

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Epilobium angustifolium
Light:Full Sun Part Shade
Moisture:Xeric Mesic
Hardiness:3
Soil pH:5.6-8.4
Height:7'
Width:3'
Speed:Fast
Blooms:Mid Summer-Early Fall
Open Woods Forest
Native to:
Shelter
Edible Rating:PFAF Edibility RatingPFAF Edibility RatingPFAF Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating:PFAF Medicinal RatingPFAF Medicinal RatingPFAF Medicinal Rating
Tea:Yes
Poisonous

Epilobium angustifolium (common name: willow herb)

Propagation: Seed - sow early spring in situ or as soon as the seed is ripe[1]. This plant is more than capable of finding its own way into most gardens and does not usually require an invitation.

Division in spring or autumn. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.

Cultivation: An easily grown plant, it prefers a well-drained but moisture retentive soil in a sunny position[2], though it succeeds in most soils[3]. It prefers a moist soil[1], but also succeeds on dry banks[4]. It is best grown in open woodland[3].

Plants are hardy to at least -20°c[5].

The rosebay willowherb spreads vigorously by means of a creeping rhizome, and often forms large patches[5]. It is apt to become a weed especially through its seed which is very light and capable of travelling long distances in the wind. It is often one of the first plants to colonize disturbed areas such as scenes of fires[3][2].

A very ornamental plant[3], it is the floral emblem of the Yukon[6].

A food plant for the caterpillars of several lepidoptera species[7], it is also a good bee plant[8][9].

Range: Europe, including Britain, temperate Asia and N. America.

Habitat: Rocky ground, waste areas, woodland edges and gardens[10][11].

Edibility: Leaves and young shoot tips - raw or cooked[12][13][14][15][6][16]. They can be used in salads or cooked as a vegetable[17]. When boiled they make a wholesome vegetable and are a good source of vitamins A and C[12][18]. Only use the leaves when they are young[19]. Although they are said to be edible, another report says that an infusion of them can stupefy[20].

Young shoots - cooked. They make a good asparagus substitute[12][17][16][21].

Root - raw, cooked or dried and ground into a powder[8][6]. Used in spring, it has a sweet taste[14][8].

Flower stalks - raw or cooked[19][22][6][16]. Added to salads, they are used when the flowers are in bud[16].

The pith of young or older stems - raw or cooked[15][23][16]. Slightly sweet, tender and pleasing to eat, though there is not much of it[19][6]. Gelatinous[24], it can be used as a flavouring in soups[16]. The stems are said to be a good laxative, but are best not eaten on an empty stomach[25].

A tea is made from the dried leaves[17][15][19][9][16], it is sweet and pleasant[6]. Called 'kaporie' tea in Russia, it contains 10% tannin[26]. The leaves are also used as an adulterant of China tea[12].

Medicinal: Willow herb is often used as a domestic herbal remedy, though it is little used in conventional herbalism.

The herb is antispasmodic, astringent, demulcent, emollient, hypnotic, laxative and tonic[20][10][6][27]. It is used in the treatment of diarrhoea, mucous colitis and irritable bowel syndrome[28]. The plant is used in Germany and Austria to treat prostate problems[28]. A poultice of the leaves is applied to mouth ulcers[26]. An extract of the leaves has anti-inflammatory activity[26]. An ointment made from the leaves has been used to soothe skin problems in children[28].

A tea made from the leaves and roots is a folk remedy for dysentery and abdominal cramps[26].

A poultice made from the peeled roots is applied to burns, skin sores, swellings, boils etc[26][18].

Usage: A fibre obtained from the outer stems is used to make cordage[23][29][25].

The 'cottony' seed hairs are used as a stuffing material[23][30] or as a tinder[22][6].

The powdered inner cortex is applied to the hands and face to give protection from the cold[23][6][18].

Pollinators: Bees

Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.

Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.

Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall

Flower Type: Hermaphrodite

Known Hazards: An infusion of the leaves is said to stupefy a person[20].

Also Known As: Chamaenerion angustifolium.

Links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sanders, Thomas. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge, 1926.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
  4. ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
  7. ↑ Baines, Chris. Making a Wildlife Garden.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Sweet, Muriel. Common Edible and Useful Plants of the West. Naturegraph Co, 1962.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
  11. ↑ Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
  13. ↑ Mabey, Richard. Food for Free. Collins, 1974.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Loewenfeld, Claire and Philippa Back. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
  21. ↑ Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Coon, Nelson. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press, 1975.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 Turner, Nancy. Plants in British Columbian Indian Technology. British Columbia Provincial Museum, 1979.
  24. ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Turner, Nancy. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples. UBC Press Vancouver, 1995.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
  27. ↑ Emboden, William. Narcotic Plants. Studio Vista, 1979.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
  29. ↑ Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.
  30. ↑ Gunther, Erna. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press, 1981.


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