Fireweed vs Round-Leaved Sundew - TreeTime.ca

Fireweed vs Round-Leaved Sundew

Chamaenerion angustifolium (Epilobium angustifolium)

Drosera rotundifolia

CUSTOM GROW

CUSTOM GROW

Fireweed
Round-Leaved Sundew

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.

Round-Leaved Sundew is a native carnivorous plant, easily recognized by its bright green leaves covered in distinctive red, glandular hairs. These hairs secrete a sticky substance that is used to attract, trap, and digest insects. Their carnivorous nature allows them to survive in nutrient-poor, acidic soils where many other plants may struggle to grow.
They produce small white flowers that grow along the top of a slender, leafless stem. They can be found growing in wetlands, most often among sphagnum moss, in consistently moist, acidic soils. It does best in cooler summer climates and is intolerant of shade. Due to its small size, the plant can be difficult to spot in its natural habitat. Round-Leaved Sundew is an indicator of healthy wetland systems and is valued in ecological restoration and conservation projects.

Fireweed Quick Facts

Round-Leaved Sundew Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 3a
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Height: 0.1 m (0.2 ft)
Spread: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Spread: 0.1 m (0.4 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: slow
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: upright, dense, colony-forming
Growth form: rosette-forming
Spreading: seeds - high, rhizomes - high
Spreading: axillary bud plantlets - medium, seeds - low
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: round, green with sticky red tentacles
Fall colour: red to marooon
Flowers: pink-purple spikes
Flowers: tiny white flowers on long leafless stem
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, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: fire weed, great willowherb, rosebay willowherb, willow herb
Other Names: roundleaf sundew