Rosebay Willowherb

A perennial herb native throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere, including large parts of the boreal forest, occurring roughly between 30 and 68 degrees latitude and most common in temperate climates. It grows to between 0.5 and 2 meters on simple, erect, reddish stems with narrow, spirally arranged leaves, bearing magenta to pink flowers two to three centimeters across and producing as many as 80,000 seeds per plant. It favors wet, calcareous to slightly acidic soils in open fields, pastures and especially burned-over ground, acting as a pioneer species that quickly colonizes disturbed sites such as volcanic ground, forest fires and clearings where light is abundant and competition low.