Ask any Alaskan … or most tourists for that matter, what flower or plant comes to mind first when they think of Alaska and the response is almost invariably “Fireweed”!

Drive down any highway or byway in Alaska during the summer and you are sure to see these common Alaskan flowering plants … or is that our most persistent weed? I guess it depends on the eye of the viewer.


Since this photo was taken in my own front yard, I guess it's easy to see which side of the debate I fall on.

Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium), for all it’s glorious beauty, is both a weed and a wildflower. In Alaska, these are often one and the same since many of our native wildflowers can be a nuisance when they pop up in a carefully tended and planned out flower bed or garden. They can also be difficult to eradicate from unwanted locations. Some homeowners pull them up at first sight, not wanting these often 6-9 foot tall mostly single-stalk plants to overwhelm their garden. Other land owners cherish and encourage its growth.

I used to wonder why the Fireweed was not the Alaska state flower. Visit any Alaskan gift shop and you will quickly learn that the dainty blue “Forget-Me-Not” is the official blossom. You’ll find them emblazoned on coffee mugs, T-shirts and just about any other souvenir you can imagine.

Like so many of Alaska’s wildflowers, the Forget-Me-Not ranges in size depending on where it grows. Across much of Alaska, you will find the taller, 18-inch high, sky blue blooms with their distinctive yellow center. In the arctic tundra regions, you need to look closely to find the rather shy Arctic Forget-Me-Not, which spreads in small clumps and seldom reaches over 4” in height. The soft blue of their delicate petals are very pretty, but somehow seem at odds to me with its often spectacular surroundings. Alaska deserves an equally spectacular state flower!

So, why is the highly visible Fireweed not the State Flower? I have read several theories, but the one that makes the most sense to me is that the Fireweed was already the “Regional Flower” of the Yukon. Darn! I don’t know for sure if this is the actual reason, but it makes sense.

Fireweed is still considered by many to be the most popular wildflower in the state by visitors, residents and even wildlife. Yep, early season Fireweed is even edible! It is a favorite browse for Alaska’s moose population and I can attest that my domestic goats absolutely adore it as well. The young shoots made a tasty addition to a garden salad for the dinner table … and Fireweed honey is delicious!

People often believe that Fireweed gets its name from the tall stalks of bright rosy pink blooms that open up first towards the middle of the stalk and work their way upwards, sort of like the fuse on a fireworks display. In actuality, it was dubbed Fireweed for two reasons. First, because it is often the first plant to pop up after a forest fire and actually thrives in these conditions. What might otherwise have been a barren, gray scar on the landscape is quickly converted into a glorious field of brilliant pinks and greens. Fireweed is nature’s way of beginning the healing process in a natural and awe-inspiring way.

As the season progresses, Fireweed flowers will bloom closer and closer to the top of the stalk, while the first blossoms will dry up and fall off. Fireweed blooms throughout the entire summer in a riotous display of beauty, with new flowers opening up almost daily. It is common knowledge to Alaskans that when the very top of the Fireweed burst into bloom and the flowers at the lower end of the stalk go to seed in a puff of cottony fluff to catch the wind and float off to reseed for next year … that winter is only about six weeks away.

Fireweed "going to cotton" in mid-August. Note the last blooms at the very top.

The last blooms of the season are not the end of the Fireweed’s beautiful display though and this is the second reason for this plant’s name. As summer fades into fall, the towering Fireweed stalks still carry a load of ground to tip leaves. Now flowerless, these tall, single-stem plants slowly change color in early fall from bright green, to green and red and finally to an almost solid mass of red and reddish orange leaves. They play off the golden color of most of Alaska’s autumn-leafed trees in a whole new and vibrant manner.

Fall in Alaska is nothing like the Mid-Western states of the USA, but has a beauty all its own. Golden leaves glimmer throughout Alaska's trees, turning entire forests to the gold that Alaska is well known for while ground plants, including Fireweed, ferns and other ground cover turn an eye-catching red. What a lovely, colorful way to end the season!