FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Melaleuca quinquenervia | Melaleuca 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Melaleuca is well adapted to fire.  It has a thick, spongy bark that
insulates the cambium.  The outer layers of bark are flakey and burn
vigorously, which conducts the fire into the canopy, igniting the
oil-laden foliage.  The leaves and small branches are killed, but
dormant lateral buds on the trunk germinate within weeks after the burn.
This prolific sprouting increases the surface area of small branches and
therefore the tree's reproductive potential [5,23].

Melaleuca can flower within weeks after a fire.  Each serotinous capsule
contains about 250 tiny seeds which are released after a burn, frost, or
any other event that severs the vascular connections to the fruit.  A
burned melaleuca tree can release millions of seeds, which are dispersed
a short distance by wind and water [5,10].


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Secondary colonizer - on-site seed
   Secondary colonizer - off-site seed
   Tree with adventitious-bud root crown/root sucker

Related categories for Species: Melaleuca quinquenervia | Melaleuca