Epilobium

Epilobium canum (California fuchsia) is a popular native plant for the garden, in large part because it is a reliable summer/fall bloomer. It produces numerous tubular red flowers that attract hummingbirds. Right now the ones in my garden are transitioning from flowering to fruiting. Below are some shots from my garden today.

The photo below shows the fruit before they have opened up. The fruit develop from an inferior ovary which is visible at the base of the flowers on the left.

This photo show a fruit that has just opened up to release the seeds which are easily carried away by the wind. NOTE: I forgot to mention previously that small birds, especially goldfinches, really love to eat Epilobium seeds, making for a great bird show in fall.

There are 40 taxa of Epilobium that are native to California, and they are found all over the state. In San Diego County Epilobium canum is the most common. There are four subspecies. The ones in my garden are E. canum ssp. canum, the most common form, found from the coast to the low mountains. In the higher mountains ssp. latifolium is found. Below is a shot of latifolium from the San Jacinto Mountains in Riverside County. The word latifolium means broad-leaved, but personally I can't see the difference between the leaves of ssp. latifolium and ssp. canum.

Epilobium canum propagates by seed and by rhizome. Wherever you plant it, it will expand to fill the available space. Seedlings will come up wherever the seeds may land. When it finishes blooming in late fall, it's a good idea to either cut it back to the ground or pull out the old stems. Roots and rhizomes will stay in the soil to sprout again next spring.