Epilobium cylindricum D. Don

Herbs perennial, robust, with thick caudex and leafy basal soboles or loose rosettes. Stems 10-110 cm tall, well-branched above, strigillose or rarely subglabrous on upper stem, glabrescent below with indistinct, sparsely strigillose lines decurrent from margins of petioles. Leaves subleathery; petiole 3-7(-10) mm; cauline blade narrowly lanceolate to sublinear, 3-12 × 0.4-2 cm, glabrous with sparsely strigillose margin and veins, base cuneate, margin densely serrulate with (20-)30-50 teeth per side, apex acute. Inflorescence erect, strigillose, rarely with a few glandular hairs; flowers suberect. Sepals 3-5 mm, keeled. Petals pink or rose-purple, rarely white, 3.6-7 mm. Stigma capitate or broadly clavate, entire. Capsules 4-8.5 cm, sparsely strigillose; pedicels (0.5-)1-2.5 cm. Seeds brown, 0.8-1 mm, papillose, with inconspicuous chalazal collar; coma dingy white, detaching easily. Fl. Jun-Sep, fr. Jul-Sep. 2n = 36.

Erect perennial herb, forming leafy basal soboles or loose rosettes; stems 10-105 cm tall, well-branched above, glabrescent, with raised lines decurrent from the margins of the petioles, the lines glabrous to sparsely strigillose on larger stems, stem generally strigillose on inflorescence. Leaves narrow lanceolate, 2-8 x 0.5-1.8 cm, glabrous except for strigillose hairs on margins and midvein, dense sharp serrulate, subcoriaceous, acute apex, attenuate to distinct petiole 2-7 mm long. Inflorescence erect. Flowers erect; ovaries dense strigillose or canescent, sometimes with a few glandular hairs, 2-3.5 cm long, on pedicels 0.5-1.1 cm long. Sepals 4-6 x 1.5-2 mm, dense strigillose, sometimes with admixture of glandular hairs. Petals 5.5-9 x 3.5-4.2 mm, purplish rose to pink, rarely white. Style 3-4.2 mm long. Stigma subcapitate to clavate, surrounded by anthers before anthesis. Capsules 4-7.5 cm long, on pedicels 0.2-0.8 cm long. Seeds 0.7-1.1 x 0.38-0.42 mm, narrow obovoid, papillose, with very inconspicuous chalazal collar; coma 4-5 mm, dull white, easily detaching.

Afghanistan, Himalaya (Kashmir to Bhutan), Tibet, W. & C. China.

Gansu, Guizhou, Hubei, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Kashmir, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia; SW Asia].

Distribution: north-eastern Afghanistan to the Tien Shan range and throughout the Himalaya to Szechwan, Yunnan and Hupeh; in Pakistan, widespread in the mountains between 2000 and 3600 m.

1600-4200 m

Disturbed wet places along rivers, streams, and lakes, often along roadside ditches in mountains; (400-)1300-3200 m.

Epilobium cylindricum is one of the most common species of the genus in Pakistan, and with E. tibetanum (incl. E. leiospermum) and E. amurense forms one of the most difficult complexes of species in the area. Although E. cylindricum differs from E. tibetanum consistently in seed coat morphology, specimens lacking mature seeds are often difficult to identify with certainty. The group is much in need of critical examination, especially in the field. Fl. Per.: Jun-Sep. Fr. Per.: Jul-Sep.

Epilobium beauverdianum H. Léveillé; E. christii H. Léveillé; E. roseum Schreber var. cylindricum (D. Don) C. B. Clarke.

Epilobium roseum Schreb. var. cylindricum (D. Don) Clarke in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 2: 585. 1879. Epilobium beauverdianum H. LJv. in Fedde, Repert. Sp. Nov. 8: 138. 1910; Ic. Gen. Epil. t. 82. 1910. Type: Kangting ("Ta-Tsien-lou"), Szechwan, 1893, Soulie 449 (G). Epilobium christii H. LJv. in Fedde, Repert. Sp. Nov. 9: 19. 1910. Type from "Himalaya" (G, not found). Epilobium tianschanicum Pavlov in Wiss. Ber. Mosk. Staatsuniv. 2: 327. 1934; Shteinb. in Schischkin & Bobrov, Fl. URSS 15 : 591. 1949. Type: On banks near water, River Topchak-su, Khr. Talasskiy-Alatau, Tien Shan range, Russian Turkistan, 19 July 1931, Pavlov 622 (MW, holotype, not seen; LE).