fireweed

American  

[fahyuhr-weed] / ˈfaɪərˌwid /

noun

1. any of various plants appearing in recently burned clearings, as the willow herb, Epilobium angustifolium.

---

fireweed British  

/ ˈfaɪəˌwiːd /

noun

1. any of various plants that appear as first vegetation in burnt-over areas, esp rosebay willowherb

2. Also called: pilewort.  a weedy North American plant, Erechtites hieracifolia , having small white or greenish flowers: family Asteraceae (composites)

3. an Australian rainforest tree, Stenocarpus sinuatus , having whorls of bright red flowers

---

Etymology

Origin of fireweed

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85; fire + weed ¹

Example Sentences

Mid-July is still springtime at this elevation and a rich palette of Indian paintbrush, creamy white daisies, magenta fireweed and blue-green grass laced the roadside.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 19, 2023

Alaskan lore has it that when fireweed flowers bloom all the way to the top, leaving what looks like a puff of smoke, summer is at an end.

From New York Times • Sep. 24, 2022

The land is dotted with dead “snags” surrounded by thick mats of crisscrossed fallen logs flanked by fireweed, a purple wildflower that thrives in the open spaces left by blazes.

From Scientific American • Aug. 5, 2021

Writing through his troubles, Specktor offers consolatory beauty, much as fireweed blooms on hillsides after the destruction of a forest.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 22, 2021

From a thick pile of dead leaves beneath a holly tree, Hazel looked down a narrow path lined on either side with fern and sprouting fireweed.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams