Fireweed vs Yellow Hedysarum - TreeTime.ca

Fireweed vs Yellow Hedysarum

Chamaenerion angustifolium (Epilobium angustifolium)

Hedysarum sulphurescens

CUSTOM GROW

CUSTOM GROW

Fireweed
Yellow Hedysarum

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.

Yellow Hedysarum is a native perennial wildflower recognised for its clusters of bright yellow pea-like blooms. It adds colour to grasslands, roadsides, and open woods. It is also a nitrogen fixer, which helps improve soil fertility. Because of its deep root system, it contributes to slope and soil stabilisation.

The plant provides forage for wildlife and cover for small animals, especially its roots. Its flowers attract pollinators such as bees.

Yellow Hedysarum plays an important role in prairie and foothill ecosystems. It is well-suited for ecological restoration, naturalisation, pollinator gardens, and erosion control projects.

Fireweed Quick Facts

Yellow Hedysarum Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 2b
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.8 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: upright, dense, colony-forming
Growth form: ascending to upright
Spreading: seeds - high, rhizomes - high
Spreading: seeds - low
Maintenance: medium


Flowers: pink-purple spikes
Flowers: creamy yellow, in dense spikes
Bloom time: mid summer to fall
Bloom time: late spring to 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
Other Names: fire weed, great willowherb, rosebay willowherb, willow herb
Other Names: sulphur hedysarum, sulphur sweet-vetch, yellow sweet-vetch