Cinnamon Willow-Herb

Description:

This herbaceous perennial plant is 1-4' tall, branching occasionally. The stems are square or round, and usually pubescent where new growth occurs, becoming glabrous with age. The hairless leaves are opposite or alternate along the stems, sessile or with short petioles, and up to 4" long and ½" across. They are narrowly lanceolate in shape, and sometimes have purple veins or spots. There are 4-8 teeth per centimeter along the margin of each leaf. From the upper axils of some of the upper leaves, there appears a single flower with a long calyx tube on a short stalk (peduncle). This calyx tube is pubescent and more or less erect, terminating in 4 lanceolate sepals that often tinted purple or pink. These sepals are a little shorter than the petals. The 4 notched petals are white or light pink, and span about 1/3" across. At the throat of the flower, there is a prominent pistil that is often knobby at the end, which is surrounded by several stamens. These flowers bloom for about a month during late summer or early fall. The calyx tube matures into an elongated seed capsule, which splits open to release a multitude of tiny seeds with small tufts of reddish brown hair. These seeds are distributed by the wind. The root system is fibrous and produces rhizomes, which enables this plant to spread vegetatively.