Chamaenerion angustifolium is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the willowherb family Onagraceae. It is known in North America as fireweed, in some parts of Canada as great willowherb, in Britain and Ireland as rosebay willowherb. The plant is also traditionally known as Saint Anthony’s laurel. It is also known by the synonyms Chamerion angustifolium and Epilobium angustifolium. The generic name Chamaenerion means “dwarf-oleander” and the Latin specific epithet angustifolium translates as “narrow-leaved”. It is native throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere, including large parts of the boreal forests. The common name fireweed derives from the species’ abundance as a colonizer on burnt sites after forest fires. In Russia, its leaves were traditionally used as a tea, before the introduction of tea from China starting in the 17th century, it was greatly valued and was exported in large quantities to Western Europe as Koporye tea, Russian tea or Ivan Chai. Fireweed has many uses in traditional medicine.
