The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Epilobium rotundifolium

Etymology

Epilobium: From the Greek epi- 'upon' and lobos 'a pod', the flowers appearing to be growing on the seed pod.
rotundifolium: round leaved

Common Name(s)

Round-leaved willowherb

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Not Threatened

Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB

Previous Conservation Status

2009 - Not Threatened
2004 - Not Threatened

Authority

Epilobium rotundifolium G.Forst.

Family

Onagraceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

EPIROT

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands. Naturalised in Tasmania and the United Kingdom

Habitat

Coastal to subalpine. Frequenting open forest, shrubland and grassland where it usually grows in partial shade on moist stream side banks, rocks within streams and rivers, or on damp banks, amongst boulders and within seepages in forest. Epilobium rotundifolium is also one of several indigenous epilobia that have successfully established within urban environments.

Features

Widely creeping, much-branched from base, perennial herb. Stems 100-400 mm tall, initially procumbent soon becoming ascendent and then erect, surfaces strigulose all round but especially so in lines decurrent from the margins of the petioles, often also with a few glandular hairs. Leaves opposite, a few of the uppermost alternate, the lateral veins inconspicuous, 2-5 on each side of the midrib; lamina 3-25 × 3-20 mm, adaxially green to coppery, dull or somewhat glossy, abaxially pinkish or flushed wine-red, broadly to very broadly ovate, acute to rounded at the apex, obtuse to truncate at the base, margins serrate with 5-14 teeth on each side, petiolate, petiole 1-8 mm long. Inflorescence nodding. Flowers erect. Pedicellate, pedicels 2-12 mm long. Ovaries 8-20 mm long, pubescent, investiture comprised of erect glandular hairs. Floral tube 05-1.5 × 0.9-2.0 mm. Sepals 2.0-3.4 × 0.7-1.2 mm, not keeled, subglabrous. Petals 2.5-5.0 × 1.5-3.5 mm, the notch 0.5-0.9 mm deep, white. Stamen filaments white of two types: long (1.2-2.7 mm long) and short (0.7-1.1 mm long), Anthers 0.7-0.8 × 0.6-0.7 mm, yellow. Style 1.4-2.7 mm long, white; stigma 1.0-1.5 x 0.7-0.8 mm, white, clavate surrounded by the anthers at anthesis. Capsule 20-50 mm long, subglabrous to strigulose, on a pedicel 15-42 mm long. Seeds 0.6-0.9 mm long, orange-brown, obovate-elliptic to obovate, finely reticulate-mammillate; coma 4-7 mm long, white to pale brown, caducous.

Similar Taxa

Epilobium rotundifolium is easily distinguished from other epilobia by the sprawling growth habit with stems much branched from the base; by the broadly to very broadly ovate serrate often copper-coloured leaves with pinkish to wine-red undersides; nodding inflorescence; evenly pubescent ovaries that are clad in short, erect glandular hairs; sepals which are 2.0-3.4 × 0.7-1.2 mm and not keeled; and by the 0.6-0.9 mm long, orange-brown seeds

Flowering

September - May

Fruiting

October - July

Propagation Technique

Very easily grown from rooted pieces and fresh seed but inclined to become weedy.

Threats

Not Threatened

Chromosome No.

2n = 36

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Minute pappate seeds are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).

This page last updated on 22 Sep 2014