Common Name: pilewort, fireweed, American burnweedScientific Name: Erechtites hieraciifolia (L.) Raf. ex DC.Family Name: Asteraceae (Compositae) - Aster or Sunflower FamilyIdentification NotesLife Cyclenative annual, reproducing by seed Stemserect, stout, branched, grooved or ribbed, smooth or sometimes sparsely haired Leavesalternate, elliptic to ovale, lobed pinnately, sharply and irregularly toothed, petioled or sessile Flowersheads of white to sometimes cream-colored disk (tubulate) florets, florets extend only short distant above bracts; terminal panicles, forms 'puffballs' when mature