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During the Second World War, the rosebay willowherb was the one first plants to brighten London's bomb sites. Its pretty pink flowers became a cheering sight to people living in the East End of London and elsewhere. The plant still colonises bare and waste ground. In Victorian time, however, the plant was often grown in gardens as an ornament and is by no means as widespread and abundant as it is today. Rosebay willow herb ( Epilobium angustifolium ) spreads in two different and highly effective ways. In the autumn, its long fruit capsules split to release downy billows of seed. On a windy day, the air becomes thick with the clouds of seed as they are blown to new habitats. Once established at its new site, the plant can increase by means of its thick, woody roots, which spread horizontally. The roots send up new shoots at intervals and large dense clumps of the new plants are formed, to the exclusion of all species. An exception to this is the foxglove, which is often found growing alongside the plant. Rosebay willowherb thrives on disturbed ground and frequently colonises ground that has been cleared by fire. One of its alternative names is the "fireweed" Extract from the Reader's Digest book Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of Britain. |
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