Field Guide
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Great Willowherb
Epilobium hirsutum
Not yet photographed by the community
Tall pink flower of riverbanks; hairy leaves.
Species Profile
Not assessed on Red/Amber/Green Lists; common and widespread with no conservation concerns.
- Lifespan
- Biennial or short-lived perennial, typically 2–3 years
- Size & Weight
- 60–120 cm tall; individual flowers 15–20 mm across
- Habitat
- Found in damp habitats including riverbanks, ditches, canal towpaths, wetland margins, and disturbed moist ground.
- UK Distribution
- Widespread throughout England, Wales, and southern Scotland; increasingly common northwards; present year-round as a resident species.
- Diet
- Photosynthetic plant; derives energy from sunlight and nutrients from soil and water.
- Predators
- Herbivorous insects including willowherb beetles (Chrysomela species) and various caterpillars; occasionally grazed by rabbits and deer.
- Mating Season
- Flowers June to September; pollination occurs throughout this period.
- Breeding
- Produces numerous small seeds dispersed by wind via feathery pappus structures; capable of prolific seed production with thousands of seeds per plant.
- Behaviour
- Highly invasive in some regions, spreading rapidly via wind-dispersed seeds and vegetative reproduction. Flowers are pollinated by bees, hoverflies, and other insects. Often forms dense stands in disturbed wetland habitats.
- •Also known as Hairy Willowherb, named for the fine hairs covering its stems and leaves
- •Seeds are equipped with silky hairs (a pappus) that act like a parachute for wind dispersal over long distances
- •Can produce up to 40,000 seeds per plant, making it a vigorous coloniser of disturbed ground
- •The plant's nectar is an important food source for bees and other pollinators during mid-to-late summer
- •Historically used in herbal medicine, though now primarily considered a weedy species in cultivated areas
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