The fact that you say it is "rather downy and soft to the touch", greyish-green,
and looking at the detailed pics I suspect you have a hybrid with some E.
parviflorum (hoary willowherb) in it. But it's impoosible to be sure without
being able to feel/poke the specimen :-)

Gill

--- In UKBotany@yahoogroups.com, "Phil Luke" <Phil@...> wrote:
>
> Thanks for response. I'm pretty sure it's tetragonum on the basis that the
flowers on all of the 3 plants I have looked at are 'not opening wide and flat'
and the hairs are not glandular. I have put 3 images in Phil's pics - IMG 1, 2
& 4 are the same plant, IMG_3 is from another plant growing nearby.
>
> Phil
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: ryenats
> To: UKBotany@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Monday, July 06, 2009 9:27 PM
> Subject: [UKBotany] Re: Willowherb
>
>
>
>
>
> I'd agree that the "squareness" isn't very helpful - that is why I don't use
it (or number of lines on the stem! From the habitat I'd say it almost has to be
tetragonum or ciliatum, and a quick look through a lens at the hairs on the stem
should separate them - all whitish and non-glandular, more or less appressed
(i.e. not sticking out at right-angles) vs obviously glandular, especially in
the sun when you can see the little globs of 'goo', and sticking out pretty much
at right-angles for ciliatum.
>
> Once you get your eye in the very 'straight' petals opening to form a
distinct cross shape are quite distinctive, and especially so if they have the
tips 'dipped in paint' look.
>
> Greyish green is probably OK, but it's also worth considering a hybrid with
parviflorum.
>
> Gill
>
> --- 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
> >
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>