FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Dasylirion leiophyllum | Smooth-Leaf Sotol 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Smooth-leaf sotol occurs in southwestern desert and semidesert plant
communities of North America that are subject to naturally occurring
fire [9].  Small, presumably young, plants have green leaves extending
to the ground and are usually only slightly scorched by fire [9].  The
sheath of dead leaves surrounding the trunk of mature smooth-leaf sotols
makes them especially susceptible to fire, and plants with fire-girdled
trunks usually die [1].

Mature smooth-leaf sotols are tall enough and have sufficient fuel at
the base that fires will ignite after plants are struck by lightning
[9].  These large plants contribute to fire travel, but their spacing is
such that other fuel is often required to carry fire from one
smooth-leaf sotol to another.  Plant material covered only about 60
percent of the ground in grama grass-rosette scrub communities in the
Chisos Mountains, Texas [19].  Smooth-leaf may burn for hours.  If the
stem burns through, the top of the plant may spread fire by falling and
rolling downhill.  Suppression crews frequently chop mature smooth-leaf
sotols off at their trunks and split them open to check fire spread [9].

Smooth-leaf sotol regrows from the terminal bud after fire [1].



POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Small shrub, adventitious-bud root crown

Related categories for Species: Dasylirion leiophyllum | Smooth-Leaf Sotol