FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Zigadenus paniculatus | Foothill Deathcamas 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Late spring, summer, or fall fire probably top-kills foothill
deathcamas.  Early spring fire that completely consumes aboveground
portions of the plant may kill foothill deathcamas [17].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Foothill deathcamas recovery following fire has not been documented in
the literature.  Late spring, summer, or fall fire probably does no
lasting damage to deathcamas.  It has been listed as one the of the
plant species that is undamaged by fire in the big sagebrush plant
community [23].  Early spring fire, however, is probably harmful to this
cool-season plant.  It has been experimentally demonstrated that
foothill deathcamas cannot produce a new set of leaves following
defoliation, which could occur during early spring fire.  Springtime
fire may kill some plants.  Tepedino [17] stated that following
defoliation in early spring, foothill deathcamas may perish because
photosynthate reserves are insufficient to support growth the following
spring.  Flowering is also affected by defoliation.  In Cache County,
Utah, 60 percent of plants defoliated prior to the flowering period
produced no flowers, as opposed to only 17 percent of control plants.
Defoliated plants that did bloom produced fewer flowers per raceme than
did intact plants.  Tepedino has hypothesized that flowering may be
delayed for 1 to several years after defoliation.


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY

Related categories for Species: Zigadenus paniculatus | Foothill Deathcamas