Erechtites hieraciifolius
species of plant in the Asteraceae family
Erechtites hieraciifolius (fireweed, American burnweed, or pilewort) is a plant in the daisy family, Asteraceae. It is native to the Americas, but is found many places around the world having been introduced by human activity. such as in Hawaii, China, Europe and Southeast Asia.
Description
Erechtites hieraciifolius is an annual herb with alternate, simple leaves, on thick, green stems that grow to 0.4–3 meters (1.3–9.8 ft) or more in height. The leaves are alternate, serrated, 5–20 centimeters (2.0–7.9 in) long, 0.5–6.5 cm (0.2–2.6 in) wide, and range from unlobed to deeply lobed, with the lobe pattern superficially resembling wild lettuces, which are in the same family but not closely related. When crushed, all parts of the species are aromatic. The flower heads are yellow or pink, borne in fall. The heads are followed by cluster of small, wispy achenes. The plant often branches and grows in a clump with multiple stems.
Distribution and habitat
E. hieraciifolius is distributed from Newfoundland west to Saskatchewan and south to southern Florida and eastern Texas.
The public source identifies “Erechtites hieraciifolius” as species of plant in the Asteraceae family. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Erechtites, hieraciifolius and species.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 9, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q857720. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Erechtites hieraciifolius” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.