FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Maianthemum canadense | Wild Lily-Of-The-Valley 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Wild lily-of-the-valley sprouts following fire; very few plants come in
as seed [1,14,85].  Wild lily-of-the-valley recovery may be affected by
the season of burning due to the amount of nutrient reserves in its
roots and rhizomes.  It had reduced recovery after spring burning,
apparently due to reserves depleted during leafing out [40,41].
However, it has been rated as an increaser after fire, including after
spring burning [40,118].  Wild lily-of-the-valley survives fire because
its meristems grow in the damp litter and ground [9].  Wild
lily-of-the-valley located in damp depressions survived a wildfire on
Isle Royale, Michigan, and had 12 stems per square foot (1.2 stems/sq m)
[28].  Its rhizomes can withstand low- to moderate-severity fires
[40,44].  After fire has opened forest canopies, wild lily-of-the-valley
can cover large areas where it was previously sparse under the closed
canopy [27].  In the upland boreal mixed woods that wild
lily-of-the-valley is a part of, the natural fire return intervals are
betweeen 20 and 340 years [80,119].

Wild lily-of-the-valley rhizomes can tolerate brief exposures to high
temperatures.  Its rhizomes were collected spring, summer, and fall and
subjected to wet heat treatments.  Maximum shoot growth and number of
stems occurred after spring-collected rhizomes were placed at 131
degrees Fahrenheit (55 deg C) for 5 minutes.  Growth also continued
after 143 degrees Fahrenheit (60 deg C) treatments; however, summer- and
autumn-collected rhizomes died after this high temperature treatment
[43].


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Rhizomatous herb, rhizome in soil
   Secondary colonizer - off-site seed

Related categories for Species: Maianthemum canadense | Wild Lily-Of-The-Valley