#54. Fireweed

Scientific Name:

Family Name:

Evening-primrose Family

Habitat:

Open, disturbed areas. it often seen along roadsides and in old burn sites.

Characteristics:

1. Flowers clustered at top of stem in a dense raceme.

2. Four petals are rose to light purple in color, each being up to an inch across.

3. The leaves are long, thin, elliptical and pointed. They arise on all sides of the stem like the bristles of a bottle brush.

4. The seeds are like fluffy white cotton tufts arising from the long thin seed pods late in the summer or early fall.

5. Fireweed average 3 to 4 feet tall, but may get over 6 feet tall.

Uses or Importances:

1. The skin of the stems was once used to make rope.

2. The feathery seeds were collected to make bed and clothes stuffing.

3. It is a good source of nectar for honey bees.

4. It is an important plant in regards to forest succession, as it is a pioneer plant which fertilizes the soil for larger plants.