Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

The genus Epilobium in the Onagraceae (Willowherb or Evening Primrose) family includes numerous species. Epilobium septentrionale is a rare species (CNPS list 4.3) known by the common names Humboldt County Fuchsia and Northern Willowherb. Plants in this genus were once treated as members of genus Zauschneria, and some sources still refer to it by that name. This species is endemic to northern California, where it is an uncommon resident of the rocky ledges of the Cascades. It is a squat, clumpy perennial growing in thin patches of soil between rocks and sending up a few erect stems. The leaves are oval and pointed, hairy, and covered in a coat of white fuzz. At the end of each erect branch is a hairy flower cluster bearing a bright red-orange tubular flower 2-3 centimeters long. A bunch of stamens and one long pistil protrude obviously from the mouth of the bloom, which is pollinated by nectar-feeding birds. The fruit is a hairy capsule about two centimeters long. This plant would be a good choice for the north coast garden. For other regions, other species in this genus are available.

Plant type

Perennial herb

Size

2 - 8 in Tall
2 - 3 ft Wide

Form

Spreading

Growth rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Evergreen

Calscape icon
Color

Red, White, Orange

Flowering season

Summer, Fall

Special uses

Containers, Deer resistant

Sun

Partial Shade

Water

Low

Summer irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Ease of care

Easy

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 0° F

Soil drainage

Fast, Medium

Soil description

Tolerates a variety of soils.
Soil PH: 5.0 - 7.0

Sunset Zones

5*, 7, 14, 15*, 16*, 17*, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Site type

Dry, sandy or rocky ledges of the mountains of Mendocino, Humboldt, Trinity and Siskiyu Counties, from near sea level to 7, 000 ft.

Plant communities

Douglas-Fir Forest, Mixed Evergreen Forest, North Coastal Coniferous Forest, Forest

Use with other Cascade plants such as Red Alder (Alnus rubra), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos columbiana or stanfordiana), Coast Barberry (Berberis pinnata), Ceanothus spp., Hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii or gaylussacia), Larkspur (Delphinium spp.), Salal (Gaultheria shallon), Crevice Alumroot (Heuchera micrantha), Mock Orange (Philadelphus lewisii), Rosebay (Rhododendron macrophyllum), and Stonecrop (Sedum laxum or spathulifolium)

Hummingbirds
Bats
Birds
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 8 likely

Confirmed Likely

Black-Banded Carpet

Antepirrhoe semiatrata

Orange Tortrix Moth

Argyrotaenia franciscana

Satyr Pug

Eupithecia satyrata

Gray Pug

Eupithecia subfuscata