Quote:
Originally Posted by alatar
Is the fireweed noted by the Hobbits journeying through the old forest a relative of Butterfly milkweed ( Asclepias tuberosa) ? |
The Hobbits' fireweed is almost certainly to be Rosebay Willowherb,
Chamaenerion angustifolium, also known in the UK as fireweed and sparkweed. Tolkien would have been very familliar with it.
Like the fireweed in the Old Forrest, rosebay willowherb rapidly colonises disturbed ground, particularly favouring cleared woodland where wood has been burned. It became something of a UK national symbol of defiance because of the way in which it quickly covered areas blasted by German bombs in 1941.
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