Rosebay Willowherb

Description:

Herbaceous perennial growing in massifs, up to 2m tall. Flowers are arranged in terminal racemes, they are pink and magenta; and consisting of four pink petals and four narrow magenta sepals behind. Fruit is an elongated capsule, found on lower positions of raceme. In august, large massifs of these plants are often seen in Jura range.

Habitat:

Here, pics 1 to 4 on edges of montane coniferous forests, at some 1600M of altitude; and pic N° 5, in a valley of lake Lamoura, at some 1100m of altitude.

Notes:

Very important melliferous plant, and when massifs are important (large dense and predominant) it becomes possible to produce a monofloral willowherb honey - reportedly very rare and appreciated honey, ashy in colours when fresh and reportedly snowy white crystallized. This plant is edible (young shots, roots, leaves, flowers) and used in traditional medicine in many parts of the world. Leaves are used as a tea surrogate; and flowers can be added to salads or prepared as "solar infused" refreshing drinks: put flowers in transparent closed, and leave it few days exposed to sun; filter it and drink...