Epilobium montanum

Epilobium montanum or Broad-leaved Willowherb[1] is a species of flowering plant in the willowherb family Onagraceae.

Epilobium montanum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Onagraceae
Genus: Epilobium
Species:
E. montanum
Binomial name
Epilobium montanum

Description

This species grows to 60 cm high. The leaves are hairless and serrate and ovate-lanceolate. They are mostly positioned opposite and have short stalks. The flowers are pale mauve and about 8 mm across with a 4-lobed stigma in terminal racemes.[2][3]

Distribution

Common throughout Britain and Ireland[4][5] as well as most of Europe. It is also present in central and eastern Asia and has been introduced in North America, Japan and New Zealand. [6]

Ecology

It is typically found on disturbed ground, base-rich soils, in hedges and as a garden weed.[3]

Medicine

Epilobium montanum herb has been used in the traditional Austrian medicine internally as tea for treatment of disorders of the prostate, kidneys, and urinary tract. A review of studies of the use of extracts from Epolobium species indicated that there was some evidence for traditional uses with digestive disorders. The extracts contained mixtures of flavonoids, phenolic acids and tannins, with the tannin oenothein B possibly a major contributor to biological activity. There was not sufficient evidence of efficacy in prostate disorders.[7]

References
  1. "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-01-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. Webb, D.A., Parnell, J and Doogue, D. 1996. An Irish Flora. Dundalgan Press (W. Tempest) Ltd. Dundalk ISBN 0-85221-131-7
  3. Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G. and Warburg, E,F. 1968. Excursion Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0 521 04656 4
  4. Beesley, S. and Wilde, J. 1997. Urban Flora of Belfast. The Institute of Irish Studies. The Queen's University of Belfast. ISBN 0 85389 695 X
  5. Scannell, M.J.P. and Synott, D.M. 1972. Census Catalogue of the Flora of Ireland. Dublin Stationery Office.
  6. "Epilobium montanum". Online atlas of the British and Irish Flora. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  7. Granica, Sebastian; Piwowarski, Jakub P; Czerwińska, Monika E; Kiss, Anna K (2014). "Phytochemistry, pharmacology and traditional uses of different Epilobium species (Onagraceae): A review". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 156: 316–46. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2014.08.036. PMID 25196824.


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