Chamerion angustifolium (L.) Holub Fireweed
Fireweed is a North American native plant. It is a robust colonizer of newly exposed land, such as that left behind from forest fires, and can carpet huge areas with its brilliant pink flowers. Plants: 20-98" (50-250 cm) in height, with a single, erect stem that reddens later in the season, sometimes branching to multiple flower spikes. Leaves: Leaves are 2½-6" (7-15 cm) long, with smooth edges, and are long and narrow, tapering to sharp tips. The leaf veins form distinctive circular loops. Flowers: Flower spikes are 4-10" (10-25 cm) long, with pink flowers about ½" (1.3 cm) in diameter, each with four petals. Fruits: Seed pods are reddish-brown, about 1½" (3.8 cm) long, splitting and curling when dry to expose silken fibers and about 80,000 seeds per plant. Fireweed has a dwarf sibling with similar-appearing flowers: |
8/26/2007 · Fogarty Creek, Lincoln City, Oregon 9/27/2013 · Gordon and Kathy’s, Prospect, Maine 8/16/2014 · White Mountains, New Hampshire |
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You are here Chamerion angustifolium |
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Common Name | ![]() |
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Plant | 20-98" (50-250 cm) in height, with a single, erect stem that reddens later in the season, sometimes branching to multiple flower spikes. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Flowers | Flower spikes are 4-10" (10-25 cm) long, with pink flowers about ½" (1.3 cm) in diameter, each with four petals. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Leaves | 2½-6" (7-15 cm) long, with smooth edges, and are long and narrow, tapering to sharp tips. The leaf veins form distinctive circular loops. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fruit | Seed pods are reddish-brown, about 1½" (3.8 cm) long, splitting and curling when dry to expose silken fibers and about 80,000 seeds per plant. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Range/ Zones |
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Habitats | Newly exposed land, such as that left behind from forest fires | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Type | Wild |
Edibility: Although young shoots and flowers are edible, young plants are easily confused with several highly toxic members of the lily family, so we don’t recommend that you experiment.
Online References:
Chamerion angustifolium at Illinois Wildflowers
Chamerion angustifolium at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Chamerion angustifolium on troymullens.wordpress.com
Chamerion angustifolium on Wikipedia
Chamerion angustifolium on the USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database
Chamerion angustifolium on SEINet—the Southwest Environmental Information Network
7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine
≈ 17 × 12" (44 × 29 cm)
7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine
≈ 18 × 21" (46 × 54 cm)
9/1/2007 · Mt. St. Helens, Washington
≈ 17 × 12" (44 × 29 cm)
8/2/2008 · Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 7 × 6" (18 × 14 cm)
7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine
≈ 9 × 14" (23 × 35 cm)
7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9.2 cm)
8/16/2014 · White Mountains, New Hampshire
≈ 4 × 4" (10 × 10.0 cm)
8/25/2007 · Tillamook State Forest, Oregon
≈ 12 × 8" (29 × 19 cm)
8/16/2014 · White Mountains, New Hampshire
≈ 10 × 15" (25 × 37 cm)
Chamerion angustifolium description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 31 Aug 2021.
© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.
7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine
≈ 6 × 9" (15 × 23 cm)
8/16/2014 · White Mountains, New Hampshire
≈ 12 × 8" (31 × 21 cm)
8/16/2014 · White Mountains, New Hampshire
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 12 cm)
9/2/2007 · Oregon
≈ 7 × 4½" (17 × 11 cm)
9/20/2009 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 8 × 10" (20 × 26 cm)
7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine
≈ 6 × 4½" (15 × 11 cm)
11/18/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 14 cm)
9/20/2009 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 10 × 14" (26 × 34 cm)
9/27/2013 · Gordon and Kathy’s, Prospect, Maine
≈ 11 × 7" (28 × 18 cm)
Range: Zones 2-7: