Plant of the Month ~~ May 2013
updated on or about the 1st of each month
Fire's Impact On Plants of the Santa Monica Mountains - Volume 2
I posted about plants' reaction to fire in the Santa Monica Mountains before and had always intended for that topic to become a series. This month's Springs fire, which has burned parts of the western Santa Monica Mountains (and is still burning as I write this), prompted me to revisit the topic.
Among the various thoughts and emotions I've had on reading the news and seeing photos, I recall a conversation I had with someone on a trail maintenance outing with the SMMTC on Old Boney Trail in Point Mugu State Park. He was describing that when an area of chaparral has not burned for a long time, a handful of plants tend to dominate the terrain, crowding out opportunities for competitors. Such would describe some of the area that has just now burned. It will be interesting to see what plants emerge in these areas next year after winter rains.
As I said in volume 1: "While there is a natural and understandable tendency to lament the impact these fires have on our mountains, it does provide a unique opportunity to some plants that need the heat, nutrients or exposure to set seed or properly thrive. Other plants may have certain abilities to bounce back from a fire, usually due to significant root structures or hardened stems."
The following plants are some "fire followers" which I've featured in plant-of-the-months since the first fire post. Three other plants with some fire characteristics - Star Lily, Stinging or Nettle Lupine, and Yucca are mentioned in the earlier post.
Large Flowered Phacelia
Scientific Name: Phacelia grandiflora
Family: Hydrophyllaceae, Waterleaf family
Plant Type: Annual
Phacelias as a group are considered fire followers. Large Flowered Phacelia is the most abundant of the phacelias after a fire.
Parry's Phacelia
Scientific Name: Phacelia parryi
Family: Hydrophyllaceae, Waterleaf family
Plant Type: annual
Fern Leaf Phacelia
Scientific Name: Phacelia distans
Family: Hydrophyllaceae, Waterleaf family
Plant Type: annual
California Poppy
Scientific Name: Eschscholzia californica
Family: Papaveraceae, Poppy family
Plant Type: annual, sometimes perennial
California Poppy is one of the first plants to repopulate an area that has experienced fire. Two other poppies, the Fire Poppy and Wind Poppy, are usually only encountered after a fire, when the ash encourages seed germination.
Twining Snapdragon
Scientific Name: Antirrhinum kelloggii
Family: Scrophulariaceae, Figwort family
Plant Type: Annual
Scarlet Larkspur
Scientific Name: Delphinium cardinale
Family: Ranunculaceae, Buttercup family
Plant Type: Perennial
This plant is not specifically a fire follower, but is often encountered more frequently after a fire due to improved growing conditions.
Contributed by Liz Baumann
Curious what was featured in past Plants of the Month? Search the Archives.
References:
Wildflowers of the Santa Monica Mountains, by Milt McAuleyFlowering Plants: The Santa Monica Mountains, Coastal and Chaparral Regions of Southern California, by Nancy Dale
Roadside Plants of Southern California, by Thomas J. Belzer
California Native Plants for the Garden, by Carol Bornstein, David Fross, and Bart O'Brien
California Herbal Remedies, by LoLo Westrich