FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Phragmites australis | Common Reed 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Common reed's rhizomes are deeply buried in soil and are often under
water as well.  The heat from most fires does not penetrate deep enough
into the soil to injure these regenerative structures.  For example, in
drained common reed stands along the Great Salt Lake, Utah, soil
temperatures at a depth of 1 inch (2.5 cm) did not exceed 118 degrees
Fahrenheit (48 deg C) during an early September fire [40].  When fire
consumes the aboveground foliage, new top-growth is initiated from the
surviving rhizomes.


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Rhizomatous herb, rhizome in soil

Related categories for Species: Phragmites australis | Common Reed