tHigh-altitude Andean páramo grasslands are fire-dependent systems but reconstructing recent firehistory is difficult using conventional approaches. From Venezuela to Ecuador, páramos are usually domi-nated by giant rosette plants of the genus Espeletia. This study assesses Espeletia’s potential as an indicatorof recent fire history. Their peculiar morphology is an adaptation to the mountain environment. Fireremoves dead leaves which sheathe the single stem, but they begin to reaccumulate after the fire. Itis this reaccumulation of leaves, plus post-fire mortality rates, that might indicate recent fire history.Adult mortality during the first two years after the fire varied according to fire intensity, from 8% (lowintensity) to 56% (very high intensity), and was low in the absence of fire (2.5%). Growth rates weremuch faster at 3600 m (14.8 cm y−1) than at 4100 m (1.6 cm y−1), and so was leaf turnover (94 comparedwith 50 leaves y−1). Taller plants grew faster than shorter ones. Dead leaf cover on the stems successfullypredicted time since fire in four sites of known fire age. Espeletia does represent a useful indicator offire history but requires calibration to account for local growth rates. At lower altitudes, Espeletia plantscould provide information in fires during the previous 20 y, and longer periods at higher altitudes (whereplants grow more slowly and live longer). It is a relatively cheap method that could be used to support awide range of wider studies where recent fire history is influential. A protocol for calibrating the use ofEspeletia as an indicator is proposed.©