Fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium)

Family: Onagraceae | Edibility: Edible (3/5)

Vibrant pioneer perennial with magnificent spikes of four-petaled magenta blossoms that swiftly colonize burned boreal terrain.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Shoots, Leaves, Flowers

Harvest Seasons: Spring, Early Summer, Late Summer

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Spring shoots taste like tender sweet asparagus; fermented leaves produce an aromatic floral black tea (Ivan Chai). — Young spring shoots steamed or sautéed in butter with lemon; Leaves oxidized, rolled, and dried into traditional fermented Ivan tea; Magenta flowers steeped into radiant pink fireweed blossom jelly

Habitat & North American Range

Burned forest clearings, subalpine meadows, roadsides, and riverbanks across northern North America. (Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3, Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7)