Fireweed vs Purple Pitcher Plant - TreeTime.ca

Fireweed vs Purple Pitcher Plant

Chamaenerion angustifolium (Epilobium angustifolium)

Sarracenia purpurea

CUSTOM GROW

CUSTOM GROW

Fireweed
Purple Pitcher Plant

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.

Purple Pitcher Plant is a native carnivorous plant, easily recognized by its purple-tinged, tubular pitchers that capture and digest insects. The nectar along the rim attracts insects to the pitcher, where slippery surfaces and downward-pointing hairs cause them to fall into the fluid below. Once inside, they are broken down, providing nutrients that allow the plant to thrive in nutrient-poor soils.
The plant produces nodding, purple-red flowers held high above the leaves. Interestingly, these blooms are pollinated by the Pitcher Plant Fly (Fletcherimyia fletcheri), whose larvae live in the fluid of the pitchers and feed on some of the trapped insects. It can be found in bogs, fens, and other wetlands. It is well-suited for wetland gardens, restoration, and naturalisation projects.
The Purple Pitcher Plant can be challenging to grow because of its specific requirements. It thrives in consistently moist (but not waterlogged), acidic soil, with a peat-and-sand mix typically recommended. The plant is sensitive to fertilizers, dissolved salts, and chlorinated water. When given the right conditions, full sun will bring out its brightest colors.
The Purple Pitcher Plant is the provincial flower of Newfoundland & Labrador.

Fireweed Quick Facts

Purple Pitcher Plant Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 2b
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: upright, dense, colony-forming
Growth form: decumbent to upright, colony-forming
Spreading: seeds - high, rhizomes - high
Spreading: rhizomes - medium
Maintenance: medium
Maintenance: high


Foliage: red to purple, tubular pitchers with hooded tops
Flowers: pink-purple spikes
Flowers: large nodding red flowers
Bloom time: mid summer to fall
Bloom time: summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


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