Abstract Major and trace element compositions of amphibole in igneous environments commonly reflect evolving magma compositions. In this study, we use the amphibole-group minerals from the Strange Lake, REE-enriched peralkaline granitic pluton to gain insights into the evolution of the magma. This 1240 Ma old pluton consists of two main intrusive facies, an early hypersolvus granite, which occurs as separate northern and southern intrusions, and a more evolved transsolvus granite. In the hypersolvus granite the amphibole is a late interstitial phase, whereas in the transsolvus granite, it is present as phenocrysts. The amphibole compositions vary from calcic–sodic (ferro–ferri-katophorite) in the southern hypersolvus granite to sodic (arfvedsonite, ferro–ferri-leakeite) in the other, more evolved granitic units. High Na, Si, Li, and low Al and Ca concentrations in the amphibole phenocrysts of the transsolvus granite indicate formation from a more evolved magma compared to the hypersolvus granite, despite the fact that these crystals formed early. We interpret the increasing Fe3+/Fe2+ ratios in the amphibole of the hypersolvus granite to reflect crystal chemical effects (Na/Ca-ratio) and increasingly oxidizing conditions in the magma, whereas in the phenocrysts of the transsolvus granite, the increasing ratio was the product of increasing proportions of F− and OH− in the melt. The amphiboles of all the granite units have elevated Nb, Zr, Hf and REE concentrations compared to the bulk rock, suggesting that these elements are compatible in amphibole. By contrast the much lower Ti concentration was due to saturation of the magma in sodium-titanosilicates. The amphibole REE concentrations vary greatly among the granite units. Amphibole of the southern and northern hypersolvus granite contains 0.16 and 0.07 wt.% ∑ REE + Y, on average, respectively, and in the transsolvus granite, the average ∑ REE content is only 0.01 wt.%, despite the more evolved nature of its host transsolvus granite. We intrepret this compositional difference to be due to the fact that the latter represents phenocrysts, which crystallized early, whereas the hypersolvus arfvedsonite is a late interstitial phase. Chondrite-normalized REE profiles emphasise the wide range in LREE-, and the narrow range in HREE-concentrations of the amphiboles. The variations in the LREE-profiles reflect the variable crystallization of primary LREE-bearing phases, including monazite-(Ce), pyrochlore group minerals and gagarinite-(Ce), prior to or contemporaneous with the amphibole, as well as the exsolution of a LREE-rich fluoride melt. The LREE are incompatible in the amphibole structure (apparent D 1). Owing to their small ionic radius and their compatibility with the amphibole structure, HREE concentrations were more controlled by partitioning (crystal chemical effects) than by the concentrations in the corresponding magma. Large proportions of the bulk HREE content (up to 70%) reside in the amphibole, and their later release through hydrothermal replacement helps to explain the extreme and unusual HREE enrichment of the Strange Lake pluton.