Washington Native Plant Society: Starflower Image Herbarium

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Epilobium angustifolium

Fireweed

At a Glance: Tall perennial from rhizome like roots with unbranched stem and terminal spikes of large red to pink flowers.

Height: Up to 10 feet (3 meters), but usually shorter than 6 feet (2 meters).
Growth Form: Herb.
Stems: Unbranched, red to green.
Leaves: Alternate, lance-shaped, stalkless, 5-20 cm long, green and often short-hairy above, paler, hairless and distinctly veined below, smooth-margined; size: 5-20 cm (2-8 in) long.
Flowers: Stalked, sepals 4, petals 4, stigma 4 lobed; several to many (15+) in long cluster atop stem; primary color: pink to red/purple; size: 2-4 cm (0.8-1.5 in) wide.
Flowering Period: May, June.
Fruits: Pod-like capsules, long and narrow, green to red, 4 chambered, splitting open to disgorge hundreds of fluffy white seeds; size: 4-9 cm (1.5-3.5 in) long.


Photo © Starflower Foundation

Sun/Shade Tolerance	Hydrology	Elevation Range
full sun > 80% mostly sunny 60%-80% partial sun and shade 40%- 60% mostly shady 60%-80% full shade > 80%	wet moist dry	low elevation mid elevation sub-alpine high elevation

Soil Preferences
(data not available)

Habitat Preferences
Aquatic and Wetland: Ponds or lakes Shallow pools Sloughs Swales or wet ditches Seasonally inundated areas Marshes or swamps Aquatic bed wetlands Emergent wetlands Scrub-shrub wetlands Forested wetlands Bogs, fens Seeps, springs Shorelines and Riparian: Lake shores Bog margins Streams or rivers Stream or river banks Riparian corridors River bars Floodplains Bottomlands Alluvial areas	Saltwater Areas: In or near saltwater Mud flats Tidal areas Estuaries Saltmarshes Brackish water Seashores Coastal dunes or beaches Rocky or Gravelly Areas: Coastal bluffs Cliffs Rocky slopes Outcrops Crevices Glacial outwash Gullies Slide areas Sub-alpine and Alpine: Heaths Snow beds Tundra Avalanche tracks	Forests and Thickets: Forests and woods Open forests Coniferous forests Old growth forests Deciduous forests Mixed forests Nurse logs Forest edges, openings, or clearings Thickets Meadows and Fields: Pastures or fields Meadows or grassy areas Mossy areas Disturbed Areas: Roadsides Trailsides Logged sites Burned areas Disturbed sites

Wildlife Value
Berries Seeds Nectar for hummingbirds Nectar for butterflies Host for insect larvae Thickets and shelter Thorny or protective cover	Birds: Attracts hummingbirds. Insects: Attracts butterflies and bees.

Ethnobotanical Uses and Other Facts

Material Uses: The Haida used the outer stem fibers to make cord. The Coast Salish used the seed fluff in weaving and padding. The Saanich and other Vancouver Island groups along with the Squamish and Puget Sound groups added the seed fluff to dog hair or mountain goat wool and wove the mixture into clothing or blankets. The Saanich used seed fluff with duck feathers to stuff mattresses. The Quinault and Skokomish used fluff with duck feathers to make blankets.
Medicinal Uses: Leaves rich in vitamin C can be used to make tea.
Food Uses: The Haida, Nisgaa, Gitksan and some other peoples ate the central pith of the fireweed stems in the early spring. Used as a green potherb by French Canadian explorers. Flowers produce ample nectar, which can be used to make honey.
Ecological Importance: Often the first plant to appear in burned areas, playing an important role in the re-colonization of those areas.

Name Info: Commonly grows on sites of fires, hence the common name.
Interesting Facts: National flower of Russia.

Suggested References

Alden, P., D. Paulson. 1998. National Audubon Society, Field Guide to the Pacific Northwest. Chanticleer Press. Page 144.
Hickman, J.C., ed. 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press. Page 796.
Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist. 1973. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 306.
Jacobson A.L. 2001. Wild Plants of Greater Seattle. Published by author. Page 238.
Link, R. 1999. Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 280.
Lyons, C., W. Merilees. Trees and Shrubs to Know in Washington and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 264.
Pojar, J., A. Mackinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 206.

The landscaping and restoration information provided on this page is taken from Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium. All photographs © Starflower Foundation unless otherwise noted.