Epilobium angustifolium

Location:
Alaska
Range:
Temeprate Northern Hemisphere
Habitat:
Wet, acidic soil in open pastures





Fireweed is an Alaskan wild flower. It has long slender leaves that alternate on the stem and are veined. When in bloom, mid to late summer, the fireweed produces a stalk of pink/red flowers. The stem is green and round in the early spring but in fall the stem as well as the leaves begin to turn a deep burgundy color. The plants height can range from one foot to a towering eight feet tall. The seeds begin to ripen and drop after the last flower of the plant blooms. Alaska fireweed is very edible and is used to make such things as tea, jams, and syrup. Fireweed is a food source for most alaskan herbivores such as moose.
Fireweed is a very beautiful, and useful plant. Native Alaskans uses the herb for its medicinal properties, later in history it was discovered that fireweed contains vitamin C and pro-vitamin A. The coolest thing about fireweed is its ability to colonize disturbed land. It is one of the first plants seen growing after volcanoes and even oil spills.

Resources:
http://funtongue.tripod.com/alaska/anchorage_09.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_weed#In_habitat_restoration
http://www.gallerylodge.com/gallery_lodge_004.htm