any of a number of plants that grow readily on cleared or burned-over land; esp., a species (Epilobium angustifolium) of willow herb, with purplish-red flowers
fireweed
fire·weed fireweed
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"fireweed." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/fireweed>.
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fireweed. (n.d.). Retrieved January 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/fireweed
fireweed
noun
- Any of various plants of the genus Epilobium, especially E. angustifolium (syn. Chamerion angustifolium ), having long, terminal, spikelike clusters of pinkish-purple flowers. Also called willow herb .
- Any of several weedy North American plants of the genus Erechtites in the composite family, having small white or greenish flowers grouped in discoid heads.
Origin of fireweed
So called because the plants are pioneer species in areas where fire has destroyed other vegetationTHE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"fireweed." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/fireweed>.
APA Style
fireweed. (n.d.). Retrieved January 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/fireweed
Noun
(plural fireweeds)
- A perennial herbaceous plant (Epilobium angustifolium) in the willowherb family Onagraceae.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"fireweed." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/fireweed>.
APA Style
fireweed. (n.d.). Retrieved January 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/fireweed
