Rosebay-willow-herb

[RAPPLEBY2000]

Rosebay-willow-herb not quite ready yet!
I use the seed/down for fire demos.
Theres a much smaller plant with identical seed pods I've collected loads from but i don't know what it's called it's just as good though!

it seems to grow to about 1m has similar but much smaller pink flowers and casts its seeds identically to Rose-bay-willow-herb.

I'm guessing it's in the same family but does anyone know what it is?

sorry i don't have a photo.

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

that's typical isn't it, i was just Googling and found it!

Great willowherb (Epilobium hirsutm)

as opposed to:

Rose Bay Willow herb (Epilobium angustifolium)

there are some near me that are over 6ft tall!

 

[addo]

Aye that sounds like the fella.
I used cattail down as fine nest material on my last fire demonstration, and it worked a treat.

 

[gregorach]

There was some very fluffly seed floating around the allotment site recently, I think from some of the nearby willows... Went up like a rocket at the touch of a spark, and burned much more completely than any other plain fluff tinder I've tried. Most seem to just flash over the surface, but this stuff really caught fire properly.

All gone now though.

 

[addo]

There was some very fluffly seed floating around the allotment site recently, I think from some of the nearby willows... Went up like a rocket at the touch of a spark, and burned much more completely than any other plain fluff tinder I've tried. Most seem to just flash over the surface, but this stuff really caught fire properly.

All gone now though.

Could also have been Poplar (tree) down, thats great stuff too.

 

[Matthew.Passmore]

I have a big bag of thistle down in my draw, I dropped it on the floor abit ago and accidentally stood on it causing it to explode and fill my room the floating fluffy things

 

[Toddy]

Sounds like Greater willowherb, quite pretty, almost could be a garden plant apart from the problems with the seeding

I'm packing to go up to the Crannog tomorrow and I opened a bag in the shed having forgotten what it contained, and not paying attention I dropped it...............cat tail fluff everywhere What a mess

Burns well though
So does well dried bog cotton, I gave up trying to spin it; a real pain to do, that was. I'm patient but sometimes, y'know, life's too short

cheers,
M