Stem squareness isn't even a feature in the Stace key and yes it's nothing like
as clear cut as say the square-stemmed St John's Wort.

In case it helps I have put a blow-up of my stem picture at
http://www.floralimages.co.uk/pepilotetra1.htm in the John Crellin photo folder
here.

I was probably using the older Rose book at the time but can stil believe my ID
from the Stace multi-access key - apart from seeds bit. (And according to that
key club-shaped stigma and adpressed hairs clinches it.)

BUT who was saying only recently that Willowherbs are mostly hybrids ? - might
have been on this forum.

Has anyone else read the introduction to Sell and Murrell on species variation ?

John

--- In UKBotany@yahoogroups.com, "Phil Luke" <Phil@...> wrote:
>
> I have had a go at Gill's Ryenats Willowherb key and worked out one to be E.
> tetragonum: stem and leaves rather downy and soft to the touch; stem red;
> leaves 50 X 10mm, greyish-green, slightly toothed and sessile; seed pods
> 80 - 90mm long on 20mm stalks; petals pink and cleft c.1/4 of length; stigma
> club-shaped; habitat - dry waste ground. However, I have 2 problems, a) the
> square-stalked epithet - the stalk just has raised lines running down from
> the lower leaves and, b) hairs on stem not apparently appressed. Looks very
> like John Crellin's image in British Wild Flowers, but looking a 'greyer'
> green. Have I got it right or not - any ideas?
>
> Phil
>