Chamaenerion latifolium, formerly in the genus Epilobium, is commonly known by both as beauty willowherb, broadleaf fireweed, and dwarf fireweed. This species is circumboreal, found in Eurasia and North America, primarily in the Arctic and subarctic. We found this individual on the alpine tundra in the Chugach Mountains near Anchorage, Alaska, but it's probably best known in Greenland, where it's the national flower! In Greenlandic (kalaallisut), it's known as niviarsiaq, which translates to "young girl".
In the Anchorage area, it used to be common among the Dena'ina to harvest dwarf fireweed when it was young and eat it along with meat, either cooked or raw. However, the more commonly harvested species is the ubiquitous Chamaenerion angustifolium, which most people in North America know simply as fireweed.
