Table of Contents:  History  Higher Taxa  Identification  Geography  Natural History  How to Encounter  Interesting Facts  References

copywrite Dr. John Pickering

 Linneaus was the man:
        Carlos Linneaus a well renown botanist named thousands of species in his day.  His lesser known authority is that of plant species. Linneaus used the forgotten language of Latin to classify the plants.  After researching the life of Carlos Linneaus one realizes that he veni, vedi, vici. He named my reported plant scientifically Epilobium angustifolium. After the death of Linneaus, his comrade and cohort Smith bought his plant species collection and placed them in the herbarium of the society in which was renamed after the late Carlos Linneaus. The holotype (which was described as a perennial flowering plant, about 8ft high, and having a purple hue) of the Erechtites hieracifolia resides the Herbarium of the Linnean Society of London. Later a Spaniard named Rafinesque ex de Candolle became the new authority of the species. Though, the only thing he did or said differently than Linneaus was he placed the species under a more closely related Family.

 Common names: Pilewort, Evening Primrose, wild Lettuce, Trumpet Weed, Hieracium Canadense, Burnweed, Great Willow Herb, and most commonly the Fireweed.

Higher Taxa:
Class: Dicotyledenae
Order: Onagraceae
Family:  Asteraceae
Subfamily: ?
Tribe:   ?
Genus:  Erechtites

Identification:
 Look Who's Talking?: This plant species also has life stages, like most most other dicots-herbs. The best way to detect this species is by it's very showy, petals pink to lavender purple, up to 2.5cm in length borne in linear lanceolate racemes. It has an epigynous flower replacement.The Fireweed regenerates both sexually and asexually. Airborne seeds allow for rapid regeration. The fruit of the plant are encased in a capsule up to 5 to 8 cm, this casing protects it fom parasitic predatorsd , and each capsule produce hundreds of seeds. This robust annual can reach heights of 1-2.7 meters in an erect position, with alternate leaves which grow up to 7 to 15 centimeters long and narrow in shape. One plant can have as many as 15 or more flowers. This autotrophic plant has a flowering period of late July until the frost develops. The previously mentioned facts were complied by David Ketzner and Jeanne Karnes, the other reference were researched by Albert E. Radford and Harry E. Ashles. The first holotype can be visited at the Herbarium of the Linnean Society of London. click  to find out which scientific references which include this species within an identification key.
 

Geography

Erechites hieracifolia(L.)
AREA	STATUS	REFERENCE
North America:  Continental United States; Canada  Eastern North America  United States east of the Mississippi;  Ontario and eastern Canada  Southeastern United States  AL AR DE BC FL GA KY MD NC SC TN VA WV  Southern Appalachian States:  AL GA KY MD NC SC TN VA WV  Coastal Plain   Piedmont  Blue Ridge Mountains   Great Smoky Mountains National Park  Ridge and Valley   Cumberland Plateau  Georgia  Clarke County, Georgia	YES  YES  YES  YES  YES  YES  YES  YES  ?  YES  YES  YES	(Radford 1964)  (Knopf 1979)  (Knopf 1979)  (Knopf 1979)  (Knopf 1979)  (Radford 1964)  (Mellinger 1984)  (Knopf 1979)    N/A    (Moss 1983)    N/A

Natural History:
This species is named for its characteristics, this Fireweed is one of the first plants to inhabit an area containing burnt soil, appearing spontaneously.This plant species is usually referred to as a shade intolerant species, meaning that it fight others to attain the greatest amount of sunlight. This plant has a perennial life cycle, with the difference being that it disappears when other vegetation begins to grow in the area. This is a seasonal species only occurring in the presence of heat, and  lying dormant in the colder months.

How to encounter the Fireweed:
It is easier than people think to encounter a particular species. It can be found in burned-over areas,waste places, burns, roadsides,newly burnt fallow, and in less dry area at most elevations to sub alpine. The Fireweed grows in distributed areas, along the stream beds and in open forests.
 
 

Interesting Facts:
Not only does the plant species Fireweed have a "hot" name, but it also an edible plant.  This amazing weed can also be use for medicinal purposes. The aborigines of North America found various uses for it including eczema, hemorrhages, diarrhea, and also to relieve sore throats. The United States Eclectic Dispensatory fond others uses for it such as, dysentery, gout and rheumatism. And to my surprise, it's also a good sorce of nectar for honey bees.
 
 
 

References:

Burnbridge, Joan. 1989. Wild Flowers of Southern Interior of British Columbia and Adjacent parts of Washington and Idaho and Montana. The University of British Columbia Press.  British Columbia, Canada. 49-49 pages

Knopf, Alfred A. 1979. Audubon Society Field Guide to North Wildflowers. Chanticleer Press.  New York. 640-641 pages

Mellinger, Marie B. 1984. Atlas of Vascular Flora of Georgia. Studio Design Printing. GA. 2639 page

Moss. E. H. 1983. Flora of Alberta, manual of flowering plants, conifers, ferns, and fern allies found growing without cultivation. University of Toronto Press. Toronto, Canada. 15 page

Radford, E. Albert and Harry E. Ashles. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. University of South Carolina Press.  Chapel Hill, NC. 1037-1038 pages