Fireweed/Rosebay Willowherb

Description

This pioneer species quickly open ground and the seeds fertile for many years. Siberians and native Americans collected the young shoots and mixed them with other greens but as the plant matures they become bitter. The stems of the more mature plant can be peeled and eaten raw. When the root is collected before the plant flowers and the outer part scraped off with the middle brown thread removed it can then be roasted.