What Is This Plant ??

[johninblackpool]

Hi Grapes
My Dad has grown this plant from what he thought was a chilli plant.
As you can see from the pics the plant, leaves and flowers look like a chilli but the very thin pods are about 3mm across and about 3" long and have started to burst open and inside are very fluffy seeds
Anybody out there with any ideas what it is??

[rustylady]

Rosebay Willow Herb I think it's called. Commonly regarded as a weed - I hope he only has one of them. Watch out for the seeds, the fluffy bits act as parachutes and spread like dandelions. The garden will be infested with them.

[SarzWix]

My dad grows it on purpose as a wild-flower, but you'd not want it in the veg patch I don't think.

[Flummery]

My thoughts were, it looks awfully like a willowherb! Not sure it's rosebay but there are about 4 common ones around. Rosebay tends to have spires of deep purple flowers. As RL says, the seeds get everywhere. Would that it were a chilli!

[johninblackpool]

Hi Rustylady
Just looked up Roseby Willow-herb and all the articles that i google show a totally different plant but with very similar seed pod
I think i will wait to see what else other grapes have to say but thanks
It does look very much like it but totally different flowers and colour

[SarzWix]

As Flum says, there's more than one type of willow-herb, some have pale pink flowers, some have white, some are big and some are small. The little pod thingies do look very like, especially with the fuzzy seeds.

[seasprout]

Its a weed

It is a willow Herb I'm afraid, I bet it germinated in the compost and your dad just pricked it out and started growing it, you need to bin it soon before those seeds escape.

Healthy Specimen though.

[Two_Sheds]

It's definitely a willowherb.

Good for Hawkmoths

[digthatchick]

What you have there is Epilobium parviflorum - or Northern Willowherb.