Fireweed Seeds

Description:

This is an explosion of seeds from the fruit capsules of the Fireweed Plant, a perennial herbaceous plant native to North America and especially common in boreal forests. The flowers and the stems are bright pink-red, thus the name Fireweed. The seeds are tiny 2-3mm in length with white silky hairs 1 cm long. A single plant can produce up to 80,000 seeds a year. They are of course, wind-born and this is a colonizing plant that proliferates after fire (also a reason for the name Fireweed) or clearings and along roadsides and other disturbed areas. Seeds can remain dormant in the soil for many years.

Habitat:

Seeds: Along a roadway near the town of Skagway, Alaska (5Sep18). Flower: Within Totem Bight State Park, Ketchikan, Alaska (3Sep18).

Notes:

Synonyms for this plant are Chamerion angustifolium and the more well-known Epilobium angustifolium. See the Fireweed spotting by Machi (http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/116...). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaeneri... http://www.labunix.uqam.ca/~fg/MyFlora/O... https://www.123rf.com/photo_44183811_flo... https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/spec...