FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Zigadenus venenosus | Deathcamas 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Fire top-kills deathcamas [7].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Fire research on this species is limited.  It is known, however, that
geophytic lilies such as deathcamas stop producing new leaves once the
flower stalk is formed in early spring.  Deathcamas, therefore, cannot
produce new growth at postfire year 1 except when fire occurs in very
early spring, before the flower stalk has developed.  Experiments
performed on a closely related species, foothill deathcamas (Zigadenus
paniculatus), showed that plants were unable to produce a second crop of
leaves following defoliation [19].  Deathcamus will emerge again at
postfire year 2, but flowering may be delayed until postfire year 3.
Zigadenus spp. seedling survival is enhanced following fire due to
reduced competition [23].  Peak population density is reached 2 to 5
years following fire, and then declines preburn density [10].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Repeated annual burning from mid-spring to mid-summer greatly reduces or
eliminates deathcamas populations.  Carbohydrates stored in the bulb
from the previous year are metabolized in early spring to produce new
leaves.  Because yearly burning destroys the photosynthetic surface
responsible for new carbohydrate production, the plant may have
insufficient carbohydrate stores for next year's growth.  The result is
plant death [19].  Fire at other seasons probably has little effect on
deathcamas.

Related categories for Species: Zigadenus venenosus | Deathcamas