Rosebay Willowherb
Rosebay Willowherb
Wildflower
A tall spire of pink flowers and a fire-following pioneer — it famously carpeted WWII bombsites and drifts on tens of thousands of parachute seeds.
💡 Fun Facts
- Its tall spikes of pink flowers are one of the first plants to spring up on burnt or bare ground.
- It covered the rubble of bombed cities after the Second World War, earning the name 'bombweed'.
- Each plant can release tens of thousands of fluffy parachute seeds that float away on the wind.
📅 Through the Year
- Flowering:June to September
- Fruiting:August to October
Name Story
Chamaenerion angustifolium
means “The narrow-leaved dwarf-oleander”
What does its name mean?
- Chamaenerion — ground or dwarf oleanderGreek
- angustifolium — narrow-leavedLatinDecode this word →
Its long, slim leaves look so much like an oleander's that botanists named it a low-growing, ground-level oleander — and tall spikes of pink flowers blaze across waste ground in late summer.