The Cousins Epilobium

Day 295: Once thought to belong to the same genus as common Fireweed, the Epilobiums were set aside as genetically distinct and were retained as the genus while Fireweed was removed to Chamaenerion in another of those taxonomic moves which makes almost all of your field guides obsolete. If this nomenclatural shift seems insignificant to my readers, please understand that it is the result of hard science and as such, has benefits which outweigh the inconvenience of learning a new name. If we are to understand the ecological niche in which a species occurs, knowing that it is distinct from another species or genus is vital in order to determine its relationship to other species/genera within the same niche.

Shown here as a demonstration of diversity within a genus, the four-petalled flower characteristic of the Epilobiums is easily observed in species such as E. glaberrimum (left) and E. anagallidifolia (right), but not so readily seen in E. luteum (center) where the petals are broad and overlapping. With a loupe, one might also note that each flower contains eight stamens. When in fruit, the Epilobiums form a long four-chambered capsule which, when it is ready to release seed and splits, releases puffs of silvery-white hairs to which are attached individual seeds. The tiny seeds are dispersed by wind, borne aloft and sometimes carried for miles before dropping to the ground.