American burnweed.

De un vistazo

Nivel de cuidados

Fácil

Tipo de planta

Annual herb

Luz

Full sun to partial shade

Luz en interior

Sol directo

Riego

Cada 2 a 4 días

Tamaño adulto

3 to 8 feet

Ritmo de crecimiento

Rápido

Rusticidad

USDA 3 a 9

Floración

Mid summer to early autumn

Cuidados

Keep the soil consistently moist as this plant prefers damp conditions. Watch for wilting during dry spells, as it does not tolerate drought well. It is a prolific self seeder, so remove flower heads if you want to limit its spread.

Riego

Water whenever the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch.

Abonado

Apply a balanced liquid fertilizer during the active growing season.

Poda

Deadhead spent flowers to prevent unwanted seed dispersal.

Trasplante

Since this is an annual, it typically completes its life cycle within one year.

Suelo

Moist, fertile, well drained soil

pH del suelo

6.0 to 7.5

Temperatura

-15 a 35°C

Humedad

40 a 80%

Tolerancia a la sequía

Moderada

Longevidad

Annual, typically 1 year

Resistencia a ciervos y conejos

Moderada

Seguridad

Personas

The plant is generally considered non-toxic but should be handled with care as some individuals may experience contact dermatitis.

Niños

The fluffy seed heads are tempting to touch but can be a minor choking hazard if inhaled or ingested by small children.

Alérgenos por contacto

Handling the foliage may cause mild skin irritation in sensitive individuals.

Alérgenos en el aire

The wind dispersed seeds have fine hairs that can be a minor respiratory irritant.

Comestibilidad

While young leaves are sometimes eaten as a potherb, they can be bitter and require careful identification to avoid confusion with toxic lookalikes.

Cómo identificarla

• Tall, succulent, grooved stems
• Alternate, lance shaped, serrated leaves
• Small, cylindrical, white to greenish flower heads
• Seeds have fluffy, white bristles

Altura

0,6 a 2,5m

Anchura

0,3 a 0,6m

Hojas

green, deciduous

Flores

white, cream, 0,5 a 1cm

Frutos

brown, Autumn

Problemas frecuentes

• Powdery Mildew — White fungal growth on leaves often caused by poor air circulation.
• Aphids — Small insects that cluster on new growth and suck plant juices.

Cómo cultivarla

Propagación

seed

Cuándo plantar

spring

Cuidados en invierno

As an annual, the plant dies back completely after setting seed in autumn. No special winter care is needed.

En maceta

It is not well suited for containers due to its height and rapid growth habit.

Plant this in open, sunny areas where it has room to self seed without crowding out slower growing perennials.

Buenas compañeras

• Vara de oro — They share similar habitat requirements and provide a late season nectar boost.
• Symphyotrichum — These plants provide excellent structural and color contrast in a meadow setting.

Especies parecidas

• Common groundsel — It shares a similar growth habit but is generally much smaller.
• Erechtites floridanus — This species is closely related and often confused due to similar appearance.

Ciencia

Familia

Asteraceae

Género

Erechtites

Orden

Asterales

Clase

Magnoliopsida

Distribución natural

Widespread across North and South America.

Conservación

It is a common and widespread native species that is not currently of conservation concern.

This plant acts as an opportunistic colonizer that quickly occupies disturbed sites or areas recently cleared by fire.

Valor para la fauna

nectar source, larval host plant

Polinizadores

abejas, mariposas, polillas

Usos

pioneer species, wildlife garden, restoration planting

Taxonomía cotejada con GBIF.

Lo que más preguntan

Is this plant invasive?

It is native to North America and is considered a beneficial pioneer species rather than invasive.

Does it need a lot of water?

It prefers moist soil but can tolerate short periods of dryness once established.

De dónde viene el nombre

The genus name Erechtites comes from a Greek name used by Dioscorides for a groundsel, while the specific epithet hieraciifolius refers to the leaves resembling those of the hawkweed genus Hieracium.

Bueno saberlo

• It is commonly known as fireweed because it colonizes burned areas rapidly.
• The plant produces vast quantities of windborne seeds.
• It is an annual that completes its entire life cycle in one growing season.