page_title: Pyrophyte
section_title: Passive pyrophytes
hierarchical_section_title: Pyrophyte / Passive pyrophytes
caption_attribution_description: A charred trunk of a burned Coast Redwood tree showing showing growth of moss. The fire was over 100 years ago. Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Redwood Grove.
context_page_description: Pyrophytes are plants which have adapted to tolerate fire.
  Fire acts favorably for some species. "Passive pyrophytes" resist the effects of fire, particularly when it passes over quickly, and hence can out-compete less resistant plants, which are damaged. "Active pyrophytes" have a similar competing advantage to passive pyrophytes, but they also contain volatile oils and hence encourage the incidence of fires which are beneficial to them. "Pyrophile" plants are plants which require fire in order to complete their cycle of reproduction.
context_section_description: These resist fire with adaptations including thick bark, tissue with high moisture content, or underground storage structures. Examples include:
  Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris)
  Giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum)
  Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)
  Cork oak (Quercus suber)
  Niaouli (Melaleuca quinquenervia) which is extending in areas where bush fires are a mode of clearing (e.g. New Caledonia).
  Venus fly trap (Dionaea muscipula) – this grows low to the ground in acid marshes in North Carolina, and resists fires passing over due to being close to the moist soil; fire suppression threatens the species in its natural environment.
  White asphodel (Asphodelus albus)
  For some species of pine, such as Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis), European black pine (Pinus nigra) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), the effects of fire can be antagonistic: if moderate, it helps pine cone bursting, seed dispersion and the cleaning of the underwoods; if intense, it destroys these resinous trees.
caption: Sequoia sempervirens with remainings of a fire older than 100 years
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