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Taxon  Report  
Chamerion angustifolium  (L.) Holub
Fireweed
Chamerion angustifolium is a perennial herb that is native to California.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
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Bloom Period
Subspecies and Varieties:
Genus: Chamerion
Family: Onagraceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Name Status:
Accepted by PLANTS

Alternate Names:
iNatChamaenerion angustifolium
ICPNEpilobium angustifolium ssp. angustifolium
ICPNEpilobium angustifolium
Information about  Chamerion angustifolium from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
USDA PLANTS Profile (CHAN9)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[fs.usda.gov] Habitat, Size, Seeds, Native American Use of Seeds: Fireweed is a tall showy wildflower that grows from sea level to the subalpine zone. A hardy perennial, fireweed stems grow from 4 to 6 feet high but can reach a towering 9 feet. A single fireweed plant can produce 80,000 seeds! The delicate fluffy parachutes can transport seeds far from the parent plant. The fluff was used by native peoples as fiber for weaving and for padding. (link added by Mary Ann Machi)

[fs.usda.gov] As Food: Fireweed was important to native people around the world. Choice patches of fireweed were even owned by high-ranking families in British Columbia. Tea was made from the leaves. High in vitamins A and C, fireweed shoots provided a tasty spring vegetable. Flowers yield copious nectar that yield a rich, spicy honey. Today, fireweed honey, jelly, and syrup are popular in Alaska where this species grows in abundance. (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 10/07/2024).