Thunderchild Flowering Crab vs Fireweed - TreeTime.ca

Thunderchild Flowering Crab vs Fireweed

Malus x adstringens Thunderchild

Chamaenerion angustifolium (Epilobium angustifolium)

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Thunderchild Flowering Crab
Fireweed

Thunderchild Flowering Crab is a hybrid crab apple known for its attractive and fragrant dark pink blossoms and deep purple mature leaves.

Tree farmers will find this hybrid appealing as a pollinator for other apples, while home growers will enjoy the red pome's ability to attract flocks of Cedar Waxwings in the early spring.

This species is reportedly resistant to fireblight.

Fireweed is a native perennial wildflower known for its tall spikes of bright pink to purple blooms. Its long-lasting summer flowers are an important nectar source for pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, while its seeds provide food for birds. Its showy, long-lasting display makes it visually striking in naturalized plantings.

Fireweed gets its namesake because it is often one of the first species to return after wildfires, supporting ecosystem recovery. Its wind-dispersed seeds allow it to spread readily, making it highly effective in large-scale restoration, revegetation, and naturalization projects.
Fireweed is the Provincial Flower of the Yukon.

Thunderchild Flowering Crab Quick Facts

Fireweed Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 1a
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Spread: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Growth form: upright, dense, colony-forming
Spreading: seeds - high, rhizomes - high
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: dark purple leaves
Fall colour: dark red
Flowers: dark pink blossoms
Flowers: pink-purple spikes
Bloom time: mid summer to fall
Fruit: small red pomes that hang through the winter
Berries: small red pomes that hang through the winter
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: fire weed, great willowherb, rosebay willowherb, willow herb