Flower profile

Fireweed

Chamaenerion angustifolium

Native in the lower 48

Fireweed is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 14 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in June–September.

8states

14of our state lists

53,267U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming

Quick look

Chamaenerion angustifolium is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the willowherb family, Onagraceae. It is known in North America as fireweed and in the British Isles as both fireweed and rosebay willowherb. It is also known by the taxonomic synonyms Chamerion angustifolium and Epilobium angustifolium. It is native throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere, including large parts of the boreal forests.
From Wikipedia's article Chamaenerion angustifolium, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Onagraceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 8 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In Washington, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–September. ^iNaturalist
In Colorado, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in July–September. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as purple. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as late summer. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 5.5 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 8,488 research-grade sightings of it in Washington, ranking #9 among the 110 flowers on our Washington list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 8,225 research-grade sightings of it in Colorado, ranking #4 among the 110 flowers on our Colorado list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 6,573 research-grade sightings of it in Alaska, ranking #1 among the 108 flowers on our Alaska list. ^iNaturalist

Fireweed gift ideas

Handmade fireweed gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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Fireweed art print
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Fireweed greeting card
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Fireweed mug
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Fireweed earrings
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Fireweed embroidery pattern
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Fireweed sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (13,497 records)

Bloom time in each of our 14 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Washington	Native	June–September	8,488
Colorado	Native	July–September	8,225
Alaska	Native	June–August	6,573
Oregon	Native	June–September	5,336
Montana	Native	July–September	2,486
Wyoming	Native	July–September	2,447
Minnesota	Native	July–September	2,263
Utah	Native	July–August	1,629
Idaho	Native	July–August	1,581
Maine	Native	July–August	1,283
New Mexico	Native	June–September	955
South Dakota	Native	June–September	495
New Hampshire	Native	July–September	491
West Virginia	Native	July–September	398

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Washington: No list Washington has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the Washington Natural Heritage Program's rare plant list isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Washington ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Washington.
Colorado: No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Colorado.
Alaska: No list Alaska has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alaska ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alaska.
Oregon: Not listed Not on Oregon endangered and threatened plants (OAR 603-073-0070). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oregon. ^{OAR 603-073-0070}
Montana: No list Montana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Montana ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Montana.
Wyoming: No list Wyoming has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Wyoming ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Wyoming.
Minnesota: Not listed Not on Minnesota endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Minn. R. 6134.0300). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Minnesota. ^{Minn. R. 6134.0300}
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Utah.
Idaho: No list Idaho has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Idaho ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Idaho.
Maine: Not listed Not on Maine Rare Plant List (Maine Natural Areas Program, 2021). E and T are Maine's official endangered and threatened plants (12 M.R.S.); SC and PE are tracking categories. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Maine. ^{Maine rare plant list}
New Mexico: Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Mexico. ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
South Dakota: No list South Dakota's endangered and threatened list (ARSD 41:10:02) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's South Dakota ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Dakota.
New Hampshire: Not listed Not on New Hampshire Official Rare Plants List (Ncr 312, eff. Jan 1, 2020). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Hampshire. ^{NH Ncr 312}
West Virginia: No list West Virginia has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (only federally listed species are protected), so we show NatureServe's West Virginia ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in West Virginia.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: IN (S1), OH (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleEdible (per NC State Extension)

NC State Extension notes: “Young shoot tips, flower stalks and leaves can be cooked and eaten. a tea with a sweet taste can be made from its dried leaves.” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records fireweed in 8 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alaska, Colorado, Indiana, Minnesota, Montana, New York, Washington, Wyoming.

Washington counties with USDA records: Chelan, Clallam, Clark, Columbia, Cowlitz, Douglas, Grant, Grays Harbor, Island, King, Kittitas, Klickitat, Mason, Okanogan, Pacific, Pend Oreille, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Spokane, Stevens, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Whatcom, Whitman, Yakima.

Alaska counties with USDA records: Aleutians East, Aleutians West, Anchorage, Bethel, Chugach, Copper River, Denali, Dillingham, Fairbanks North Star, Juneau, Kenai Peninsula, Ketchikan Gateway, Kodiak Island, Lake and Peninsula, Matanuska-Susitna, Nome, North Slope, Northwest Arctic, Sitka, Southeast Fairbanks, Yakutat, Yukon-Koyukuk.

More Washington flowers

Fragrant evening primrose

Oenothera cespitosa

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🌼 Blooms: April–July

Scarlet beeblossom

Oenothera suffrutescens

Native

🌼 Blooms: April–July

Dwarf fireweed

Chamaenerion latifolium

Native

🌼 Blooms: June–August

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CHANA2.
iNaturalist, Chamaenerion angustifolium: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Chamaenerion angustifolium (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Washington: Washington State noxious weed list (WAC 16-750-005, -011, -015).
Colorado: Colorado noxious weed lists A, B and C (8 CCR 1206-2, eff. May 15, 2025).
Alaska: Alaska prohibited and restricted noxious weeds (11 AAC 34.020).
Oregon: Oregon endangered and threatened plants (OAR 603-073-0070).
Oregon: Oregon noxious weed quarantine, A and B weeds (OAR 603-052-1200).
Montana: Montana noxious weed list (Admin. R. Mont. 4.5.206–4.5.210).
Wyoming: Wyoming state designated noxious weeds (W.S. 11-5-102(a)(xi)), as listed by the Wyoming Weed & Pest Council.
Minnesota: Minnesota endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Minn. R. 6134.0300).
Minnesota: Minnesota Noxious Weed List (Minn. Stat. § 18.79; Minnesota Department of Agriculture, updated January 2026).
Utah: Utah noxious weed list (Utah Admin. Code R68-9-3).
Idaho: Idaho noxious weeds (IDAPA 02.06.09, Section 220).
Maine: Maine Rare Plant List (Maine Natural Areas Program, 2021). E and T are Maine's official endangered and threatened plants (12 M.R.S.); SC and PE are tracking categories.
Maine: Maine Do Not Sell invasive plant list (01-001 C.M.R. ch. 273).
New Mexico: New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC).
New Mexico: New Mexico Noxious Weed List (NM Department of Agriculture, updated June 2020).
South Dakota: South Dakota statewide noxious weeds (ARSD 12:62:03:01.06).
New Hampshire: New Hampshire Official Rare Plants List (Ncr 312, eff. Jan 1, 2020).
New Hampshire: NH Prohibited Invasive Species List (Agr 3800, Table 3800.1).
West Virginia: West Virginia noxious weeds (W. Va. Code R. § 61-14A-5) (the rule abbreviates some names (e.g. “P. cuspidatum”); we expand them to match).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Chamaenerion angustifolium (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: jsparrell via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.