| Author | Rafinesque | |
| Distribution | Scattered over most of the Mountains, but likely absent in some of the southwestern counties. A disjunct record, if correct, from Guilford County in the northern Piedmont.
This is a Northern species, ranging across Canada and much of the Northern states, south to PA and IA, but southward mostly in the mountains to western NC. | |
| Abundance | Rare to locally uncommon in the northern third of the Mountains, south to Mitchell and Burke counties, but very rare southward to Macon County. Casual into the Piedmont. This species was formerly tracked by the NCNHP as Significantly Rare, but it has recently been moved to the Watch List. | |
| Habitat | This is a wetland species, usually at middle and high elevations, favoring bogs, less so in fens, wet or boggy meadows, and seepages. |
| Phenology | Blooms from July to October, and fruits shortly after flowering. | |
| Identification | This is an erect herb growing to about 2 feet tall, with numerous branches. It has narrower leaves than the other two Epilobium species, these being alternate and linear to very narrowly elliptic or oblong, about 2 inches long but barely 1/10-inch wide, with revolute and entire margins. Also, additional small (fascicled) leaves grows in the axils. The inflorescence is like the others in the genus, with numerous small white (rarely pink) flowers on long stalks from axils. This species should be easily separated from the others in the genus by the very narrow leaves; however, many or most sites are on private lands in bogs, so you will likely have trouble finding it in NC. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | None
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| Other Common Name(s) | Narrowleaf Willowherb, American Marsh Willowherb, Linear-leaved Willowherb | |
| State Rank | S2S3 | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | W1 | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | OBL link |
| USACE-emp | OBL link |
