Erechtites hieraciifolius

(L.) Raf. ex DC.

Fireweed

G5Secure Found in 45 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.157259
Element CodePDAST3K020
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderAsterales
FamilyAsteraceae
GenusErechtites
Synonyms
Erechtites hieracifolia(L.) Raf. ex DC.Erechtites hieraciifolia(L.) Raf. ex DC.
Other Common Names
American burnweed (EN) American Burnweed (EN) Eastern Burnweed (EN) Érechtite à feuilles d'épervière (FR)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Taxonomic Comments
Name spelled 'hieraciifolia' in some reference (e.g., Kartesz, 1999), in accordance with ICBN Recc. 60G.1 (2000), but was originally spelled 'hieracifolius' [in Senecio] by Linnaeus, a usage maintained by Wagner et al. (1999). ICBN (2006) Article 62.4 suggests it should be corrected to 'hieraciifolius', a correction accepted in FNA (2006, vol. 20).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-07-02
Change Date1992-04-08
Edition Date2024-07-02
Edition AuthorsNordman, C. (2024).
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Fireweed (Erechtites hieraciifolius) occurs throughout eastern North America (west to the eastern Great Plains), it occurs in southeastern Canada, the eastern United States, in most of the states of Mexico and in South America. It is adventive in western United States, western Canada and in Europe, Asia and New Zealand. It is estimated that there are more than 7500 occurrences within the native range, including in the United States on several National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, various National Forests, and on many State Parks, State Forests and State Wildlife Management Areas.
Range Extent Comments
Fireweed (Erechtites hieraciifolius) occurs throughout eastern North America (west to the eastern Great Plains), it occurs in southeastern Canada, the eastern United States, in most of the states of Mexico and in South America. It is adventive (not native) in some areas in western United States and western Canada, and in Europe, India, eastern Asia, and New Zealand. The native range extent was estimated to be 20 million square kilometers, using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (FNA 2006, GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, POWO 2024, Villaseñor 2016).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are more than 7500 occurrences within the native range extent (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Residential development may be a threat in some areas. While land clearing and development is in progress there may be an increase in numbers of plants, but when development is completed, there is a loss of habitat.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Erechtites hieraciifolius var. hieraciifolius occurs in "disturbed soil in nearly all habitats except the extremely xeric, present in most parts of the modern landscape at least as seedlings, liable to turn up at the smallest disturbance (such as small tree-fall tip-up mounds or campfires, even in large natural areas), most abundant in areas extensively disturbed or scarified by timber-harvest, bulldozing, or severe fire" (Weakley and Southeastern Flora Team 2024). Erechtites hieraciifolius var. megalocarpus occurs in saline coastal marshes. Erechtites hieraciifolius occurs at 0 - 800 m elevation (FNA 2006).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest EdgeGrassland/herbaceousOld fieldCropland/hedgerow
Palustrine Habitats
SCRUB-SHRUB WETLANDFORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
Nova ScotiaS5Yes
Prince Edward IslandS4Yes
OntarioS5Yes
New BrunswickS5Yes
QuebecSNRYes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
OhioSNRYes
KentuckyS5Yes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
DelawareS5Yes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
South CarolinaS5Yes
HawaiiSNANo
MinnesotaSNRYes
TennesseeSNRYes
AlabamaSNRYes
MassachusettsSNRYes
New JerseySNRYes
West VirginiaS5Yes
TexasSNRYes
GeorgiaSNRYes
MississippiSNRYes
LouisianaSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
IndianaS5Yes
ArkansasSNRYes
District of ColumbiaS5Yes
South DakotaSNRYes
NebraskaSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
MichiganSNRYes
FloridaS5Yes
IowaS4Yes
VermontS5Yes
North CarolinaS5Yes
IllinoisSNRYes
New YorkSNRYes
New HampshireSNRYes
MaineSNRYes
KansasSNRYes
VirginiaS5Yes
MissouriSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
1.1 - Housing & urban areasSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)

Plant Characteristics
DurationANNUAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (45)
Alabama (1)
AreaForestAcres
Blue MountainTalladega National Forest4,986
Arkansas (4)
AreaForestAcres
Clifty CanyonOzark-St. Francis National Forest1,963
East ForkOzark-St. Francis National Forest13,037
Gee CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest7,957
Pedestal RocksOzark-St. Francis National Forest21,957
Georgia (3)
AreaForestAcres
Ben GapChattahoochee National Forest1,292
Pink KnobChattahoochee National Forest12,127
Sarah's CreekChattahoochee National Forest6,888
Indiana (1)
AreaForestAcres
Mogan RidgeHoosier National Forest8,435
Missouri (1)
AreaForestAcres
Spring Creek Rare II Study AreaMark Twain National Forest4,899
New Hampshire (1)
AreaForestAcres
Carr MountainWhite Mountain National Forest17,110
North Carolina (9)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainPisgah National Forest11,085
Balsam ConePisgah National Forest10,591
BearwallowPisgah National Forest4,113
Chunky Gal (addition)Nantahala National Forest3,336
Laurel MountainPisgah National Forest5,683
Middle Prong AdditionPisgah National Forest1,852
South Mills RiverPisgah National Forest8,588
Tusquitee BaldNantahala National Forest13,670
Wesser BaldNantahala National Forest4,061
Pennsylvania (1)
AreaForestAcres
Tracy RidgeAllegheny National Forest9,034
Tennessee (3)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainCherokee National Forest11,743
Devil's BackboneCherokee National Forest4,287
Stone MountainCherokee National Forest5,367
Texas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Little Lake CreekNational Forests in Texas596
Vermont (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bread LoafGreen Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,768
Virginia (17)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekJefferson National Forest18,274
Beards MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,505
Beaver Dam CreekJefferson National Forest1,135
Broad RunJefferson National Forest10,971
Brush MountainJefferson National Forest6,002
James River AdditionJefferson National Forest1,140
Kelley MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,590
Little RiverGeorge Washington National Forest27,292
New London Bridge BranchJefferson National Forest844
North MountainJefferson National Forest8,377
Northern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest9,444
Oliver MountainGeorge Washington National Forest13,090
Price MountainJefferson National Forest9,119
Ramseys Draft AdditionGeorge Washington National Forest12,781
Seng MountainJefferson National Forest6,428
Southern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest11,985
Three RidgesGeorge Washington National Forest4,745
West Virginia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Canaan LoopMonongahela National Forest7,867
Middle MountainMonongahela National Forest19,020
References (7)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2006b. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 20. Magnoliophyta: Asteridae, part 7: Asteraceae, part 2. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxii + 666 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. Plants of the World Online (POWO). 2024. Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Online. Available: https://powo.science.kew.org/ (accessed 2024).
  6. Villaseñor, J.L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 87: 559-902.
  7. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.