| Epilobium minutum | |
|---|---|
| Epilobium minutum flower | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Onagraceae |
| Genus: | Epilobium |
| Species: | E. minutum |
| Binomial name | |
| Epilobium minutum Lindl. ex Lehm. |
|
Epilobium minutum is a species of willowherb known by the common names Chaparral Willowherb and Desert Willowherb. It is also called "smallflower willowherb", however that name, in particular the British English variant "Small-flowered Willowherb", typically refers to Epilobium parviflorum.
This annual wildflower is native to western North America from British Columbia and Alberta to California and Arizona. This is a plant of fields and meadows, including vernal pools, and it is one of the first flowers to spring up in areas recently cleared by wildfire.
Epilobium minutum is a small, spindly plant with thin, branching stems approaching a maximum of 40 centimeters in height. The sparse leaves are oval-shaped and one or two centimeters long. The stems are topped with few tiny white to light purple flowers with notched petals each a few millimeters long. The fruit is a capsule one or two centimeters in length.