365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Saturday, August 3, 2019
Chamaenerion Latifolium, Broad-Leaf Fireweed
Day 294: The tall flowering stems of Fireweed will be recognizable to almost any resident of western Washington, but most people will be unaware that there is more than one species of Chamaenerion (formerly Epilobium) in the state. Chamaenerion latifolium (Broad-Leaf Fireweed, above) is a significantly shorter plant, more compact in nature, and its flowers are frequently larger and more robust than those of its cousin. Like Chamaenerion angustifolium, its seed pods (siliques) are long and slender, bursting to release seeds when they become dry. The seeds are borne aloft on fluffy white parachutes and may travel for miles before separating and dropping to the earth. In order for the tiny seeds to germinate, they must be scarified by fire to weaken the outer layer, hence the common name. Fireweed is often found in clear-cuts which have been deliberately burned over, a pioneer species whose eventual deterioration will contribute to a soil base in which other vascular plants can take root.
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