Dreamcatcher Alpacas
Plant safety · Safe

Can Alpacas Eat Fireweed (willowherb)?

Fireweed (willowherb) (Chamaenerion angustifolium) — a wild plant. Here is what alpaca owners need to know.

Updated 2026-10-02By the Dreamcatcher Alpacas editorial team
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Yes — fireweed (willowherb) is safe for alpacas.

It is acceptable forage or browse in normal amounts.

Fireweed (willowherb) (Chamaenerion angustifolium)
Fireweed (willowherb) (Chamaenerion angustifolium). Photo: Zeynel Cebeci, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Status
Safe
Scientific name
Chamaenerion angustifolium
Family
Onagraceae
Plant type
Wild plant
Also known as
Rosebay Willowherb, fireweed

Feeding notes

Palatable browse in northern pastures and clearings.

How to offer it

  1. Introduce any new forage or browse gradually over a week or two.
  2. Make sure it is fresh — avoid moldy, wilted piles or plants sprayed with herbicide.
  3. Keep a balanced diet: grass or hay first, with a camelid mineral available.

About the plant

Chamaenerion angustifolium is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the willowherb family, Onagraceae. It is known in North America as fireweed and in the British Isles as both fireweed and rosebay willowherb. It is also known by the taxonomic synonyms Chamerion angustifolium and Epilobium angustifolium. It is native throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere, including large parts of the boreal forests.From Wikipedia — “Chamaenerion angustifolium”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where it grows

GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, holds 923,145 recorded observations of Chamaenerion angustifolium (L.) Scop. worldwide, including 47,232 in the United States. It belongs to the Onagraceae family. See the occurrence map on GBIF.

Frequently asked questions

Can alpacas eat fireweed (willowherb)?
Yes. Palatable browse in northern pastures and clearings.
How much fireweed (willowherb) can an alpaca eat?
As part of a varied diet based on grass or grass hay, it can be eaten freely. Introduce new browse gradually.

Keeping pastures safe

  • Walk every paddock and fence line each season and remove toxic plants, including roots.
  • Never throw garden, hedge or lawn clippings over the fence.
  • Check pastures after storms for fallen branches (cherry, red maple).
  • Buy hay from known sources and inspect it for weeds.
  • Keep pastures well managed — hungry alpacas eat plants they would normally avoid.

Browse the full toxic plant checker, the printable list of poisonous plants and the list of safe plants.

This page is educational and does not replace advice from a veterinarian who has examined your animals. Camelid medicine uses many drugs “extra-label”, so dosing must come from your vet. In an emergency, call your vet first. Read our disclaimer · How we write and review content.

Data: plant status compiled from veterinary toxicology references (see sources); taxonomy and occurrences from GBIF; identifiers from Wikidata Q160104.