(Continued from Part 1)
Seeds / How It Got Its Name
Fireweed is a pioneer plant and got its name because it is often one of the first plants to colonize an area where fire has destroyed the vegetation. For example, fireweed was one of the first plants to return after Mt. St. Helens blew. Here are some pictures that show why this plant is such a good colonizer.
- Two pictures showing the plant midway through releasing its seeds. In the upper part of the plant you see the unopened seeds pods; in the lower part the seeds pods have opened, and you can see the silky strands that catch the breeze and carry the attached seeds far and wide.
- Close-up of an unopened seed pod.
- Two pictures of opened seed pods. Some 300-400 minute seeds are crammed into each seed pod, with perhaps 80,000 seeds put out by a single plant, and every seed is attached to a silken parachute; in the second picture you can perhaps just make out the seeds. This shows the sort of adaptation that makes a plant a good pioneer. Imagine standing in a field where a host of fireweed seeds are hang-gliding around you. Be careful not to breathe one in.
- Two close-ups by an art photographer that shows the seeds escaping from the open seed pod. In the first picture the seed pod has just opened, and the seeds are just beginning to disperse; in the second, the seeds have almost all flown, and just a few late bloomers are left.
- Two pictures of the seeds without the silken plumes. You can see that these seeds are truly tiny. To my eye these are smaller than mustard seeds (12 Jun 2015), which are proverbial for their small size.
- You can buy a packet containing half a gram (0.018 ounces) of fireweed seeds for $3.75 at this site. Seeds retain viability for 18-24months.
Leaves
The leaves of fireweed are unique in that the veins form little trapezoids and do not go all the say to the edge of the leaf. This makes it easy to identify this plant in any stage of growth. Here are some pictures of the leaves.
- The veins on the underside.
- The veins on the upper side.
- Fall colors.
(The previous paragraph leads to a question. If you have a body that is almost cube-shaped but is not an exact cube, you call it a cuboid. Therefore, you use the suffix "-oid" to indicate that a body almost has an ideal shape. Therefore, if you have a shape that is almost a trapezoid, do you call it a trapezoidoid?)
Fireweed Taxonomy
Fireweed is a good example of the instability of scientific names. It is called Epilobium angustifolium in my printed reference works, most of which are two or three decades old, but the recognized name now is Chamerion angustifolium. One is sometimes tempted to grouse that these scientific names change so frequently that they are no better than common names. It must be recognized, however, that common names have their problems; for example, a number of other plants that are good colonizers are also called "fireweed," including a very common New England plant otherwise known as pilewort. A lack of understanding is shown by those who rail against scientific names because they are unstable (sad to say, I am one of them). As we learn the true relationships of plants, it is inevitable that the scientific names will change. This instability is unpleasant but necessary and even salutary. It should, however, be kept under control and out of the hands of splitters (24 Jul 2014).)
Miscellany
In 1957 fireweed was chosen to be the floral emblem of the Yukon. It was called "bombweed" in Britain during the Second World War because it sprang up in bomb craters. Fireweed can grow where there has been an oil spill, and it is sometimes used to regenerate an area contaminated by oil.
Fireweed is easy to grow and makes a beautiful addition to your home garden. If unchecked, however, it will take over, but is this such a bad thing? You can look at your back yard and be transported back to the vistas of Alaska. If your choice is between fireweed and Japanese knotweed, that's a no-brainer. Another plus, if you are an insect watcher, is that fireweed attracts lots of pollinators, with more than a hundred different ones being observed.
(Continued in Part 3)
