FIREWEED 



Efilobium angustifolium Linnaeus 



The magenta hue of fireweed is often inharmonious with the 

 colors of other flowers, but when seen alone in valleys or on moun- 

 tain sides, tinting the landscape, it is very beautiful. The tall, graceful 

 stems are decorated with many flowers, and these are followed by 

 the cottony seeds which are blown everywhere by the passing winds. 

 After forest fires, fireweed is the first plant to cover the burns, and 

 its name was derived from this fact. Occasionally the flowers are 

 white or very pale pink. Where the soil is especially rich, the plant 

 may grow to a height of five or six feet. It belongs to the Evening- 

 primrose Family. 



Fireweed has a wide range, occurring from North Carolina to 

 Greenland, and westward to New Mexico, California, and Alaska. 

 It is found also in Europe and Asia. 



The specimen sketched came from the valley of the Clearwater 

 River, thirty miles by trail north of Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada, at 

 an altitude of 6,000 feet 



PLATE 301 



