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fireweed
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Fireweed flowers Fireweed in bloom Vesterålen Dense pink fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium) grows among tall, blackened tree snags in a post-fire forest in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia. fireweed
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Venus's-flytrap. Venus's-flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) one of the best known of the meat-eating plants. Carnivorous plant, Venus flytrap, Venus fly trap
Plants: From Cute to Carnivorous
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Also called:
great willow herb or wickup
Related Topics:
Epilobium
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Fireweed flowers
Fireweed flowers Close-up of the flowers of fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium).

fireweed

plant
Also known as: Epilobium angustifolium, great willow herb, wickup(Show More)
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History
Taxonomy
Fireweed in bloom
1 of 2
Fireweed in bloomA field of blooming fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium).
Vesterålen
2 of 2
Vesterålen Fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium), Vesterålen islands, Norway.

fireweed, (Chamaenerion angustifolium), attractive perennial wildflower, abundant on newly cleared and burned areas. Its spikes of whitish to magenta flowers, which grow up to 1.5 meters (5 feet) high, can be a spectacular sight on prairies of the north temperate zone. Like those of many weedy plants, its seeds can lie dormant for many years in the soil seed bank, awaiting the warmth necessary for germination. Fireweed is one of the first plants to appear after a wildfire; it also rapidly covers scrub or woodland areas that have been cleared by machine.

Fireweed has limited use in wild gardens, where it must be carefully checked and confined. The willowlike young shoots and leaves can be cooked and eaten. The taxonomy of the plant has been contentious, and the name Chamaenerion angustifolium is considered synonymous with Epilobium angustifolium.

Fireweed
Fireweed A field of fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium) flourishing among burned tree snags in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia, Canada. Fireweed can resprout from underground rhizomes and also quickly germinates in post-burn conditions.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.