Pyrophytes are plants which have adapted to tolerate fire. Fire acts favourably for some species. "Passive pyrophytes" resist the effects of fire, particularly when it passes over quickly, and hence can out-compete less resistant plants, which are damaged. "Active pyrophytes" have a similar competing advantage to passive pyrophytes, but they also contain volatile oils and hence encourage the incidence of fires which are beneficial to them. "Pyrophile" plants are plants which require fire in order to complete their cycle of reproduction.

Passive pyrophytes

These resist fire with adaptations including thick bark, tissue with high moisture content, or underground storage structures. Examples include: * Longleaf pine (''Pinus palustris'') * Giant sequoia (''Sequoiadendron giganteum'') * Coast redwood (''Sequoia sempervirens'') * Cork oak (''Quercus suber'') *

Niaouli ''Melaleuca quinquenervia'', commonly known as the broad-leaved paperbark, paper bark tea tree, punk tree or niaouli, is a small- to medium-sized tree of the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. It grows as a spreading tree up to tall, with its trunk cov ...

(''Melaleuca quinquenervia'') which is extending in areas where bush fires are a mode of clearing (e.g.

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). * Venus fly trap (''Dionaea muscipula'') – this grows low to the ground in acid marshes in North Carolina, and resists fires passing over due to being close to the moist soil; fire suppression threatens the species in its natural environment. * White asphodel (''Asphodelus albus'') For some species of pine, such as

Aleppo pine ''Pinus halepensis'', commonly known as the Aleppo pine, also known as the Jerusalem pine, is a pine native to the Mediterranean region. Description ''Pinus halepensis'' is a small to medium-sized tree, tall, with a trunk diameter up to , exce ...

(''Pinus halepensis''), European black pine (''Pinus nigra'') and lodgepole pine (''Pinus contorta''), the effects of fire can be antagonistic: if moderate, it helps pine cone bursting, seed dispersion and the cleaning of the underwoods; if intense, it destroys these resinous trees.

Active pyrophytes

Some trees and shrubs such as the Eucalyptus of Australia actually encourage the spread of fires by producing inflammable oils, and are dependent on their resistance to the fire which keeps other species of tree from invading their habitat.

Pyrophile plants

Other plants which need fire for their reproduction are called ''pyrophilic''. Longleaf pine ('' Pinus palustris'') is a pyrophile, depending on fire to clear the ground for seed germination. The passage of fire, by increasing temperature and releasing smoke, is necessary to raise seeds dormancy of pyrophile plants such as ''

Cistus ''Cistus'' (from the Greek ''kistos'') is a genus of flowering plants in the rockrose family Cistaceae, containing about 20 species (Ellul ''et al.'' 2002). They are perennial shrubs found on dry or rocky soils throughout the Mediterranean region ...

'' and '' Byblis'' an Australian passive carnivorous plant. '' Imperata cylindrica '' is a plant of Papua New Guinea. Even green, it ignites easily and causes fires on the hills.

References

{{Commons category, Pyrophytes Plant physiology

Passive pyrophytes

Active pyrophytes

Pyrophile plants

See also

References