FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Smilax bona-nox | Saw Greenbrier 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Saw greenbrier is tolerant of periodic fire because it will sprout from
the rhizomes when top-killed.  It is not dependent on fire for
regeneration; it occurs in both fire-tolerant communities and
communities which infrequently experience fire.  Saw greenbrier occurs
in the pine flatwoods of the lower Atlantic Coastal Plain, which were
historically maintained in open condition by periodic fire, and are now
managed with prescribed fires [15].  Similarly, it is often found in
longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) communities which were also historically
maintained by fire.  Longleaf pine communities have largely been
replaced by other communities, mostly loblolly pine, which can also be
managed with prescribed fire [43].  Saw greenbrier is a member of
Florida bay swamps, which experience fire on the average of once per
century [10].

Where saw greenbrier occurs on Cumberland Island, Georgia, its
distribution is probably only partly affected by fire.  The scrub and
marsh communities on Cumberland Island historically experienced
wildfires approximately every 20 to 27 years.  Oak (Quercus
spp.)/saw-palmetto (Serenoa repens) communities are vulnerable to fires
burning into them from adjacent scrub or marsh.  Greenbriers occurred on
forested sites, decreased at forest/marsh and forest/scrub
interfaces, and were not present in interior marsh and scrub sites.  The
authors concluded that the marsh/forest and scrub/forest boundaries are
controlled by fluctuation in the water table and not by fire [26].


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

Related categories for Species: Smilax bona-nox | Saw Greenbrier