Bog rosemary
Andromeda polifolia
Family: Ericaceae
Fire effect on plant
Surface fires can kill the aboveground parts of Bog Rosemary. In low to moderate severity fires where the organic layer is not removed the roots and rhizomes usually survive (Gates 1942: Flinn and Wein 1977).
Key traits
Bog rosemary is considered a geophyte, that keeps growing points deep in the soil and has some prostrate branches. After fire, bog rosemary sprouts vigorously from rhizomes, producing both roots and aboveground shoots even if the abovegrounds parts are killed (Flinn and Wein 1977; Flinn 1980). Bog rosemary has even been suggested to be capable of surviving high-severity fires due to the depth of its rootings systems with its roots and rhizomes reaching as deep as 45 cm (Jacquemart 1998).
Bog Rosemary produces seeds but seedling establishment is rare, therefore vegetative reproduction is considered more important (Jacquemart, 1998). Seed dispersal distances tend to be small (<1m; Lososová et al. 2023).
Plant response to fire
Bog rosemary is indicated to respond well to prescribed fire when undertaken in spring and autumn but not summer. After spring or autumn burns of low severity in New Brunswick, stem density and relative abundance of bog rosemary increasrf by around 35% (Flinn and Wein 1988). But high-severity summer fires may reduce its abundance. Similarly, in a vegetation study in the Northwest Territories in Canada on species cover in areas burned 4, 53 and 92 years before, bog rosemary was found to represent 14% of the cover just 4 years post-fire, but declined as succession advanced (Rowe et al. 1974). Bog rosemary is fire resistant and typically grows where fire events are irregular (Taylor 2007) and is considered to be adapted to fire.
Timing of life history
Perennial species. Seeds likely produced from second growing season. Flowering May to June.
Conservation status
None.
References
Flinn, M. A., Wein, R.W. 1977. Depth of underground plant organs and theoretical survival during fire. Canadian Journal of Botany 55: 2550-2554. [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Flinn, M. A. 1980. Heat penetration and early postfire regeneration of some understory species in the Acadian forest. Halifax, NB: University of New Brunswick. 87 p. Thesis. [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Flinn, M. A., Wein, Ross W. 1988. Regrowth of forest understory species following seasonal burning. Canadian Journal of Botany 66: 150-155. [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Gates, F. C. 1942. The bogs of northern Lower Michigan. Ecological Monographs 12: 213-254. [Empirical evidence; Academic literature] Jacquemart, A-L. 1998. Andromeda polifolia L. Journal of Ecology 86: 527-541. [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Lososová, Z., Axmanová, I., Chytrý, M., Midolo, G., Abdulhak, S., Karger, D.N., Renaud, J., Van Es, J., Vittoz, P. and Thuiller ,W. 2023. Seed dispersal distance classes and dispersal modes for the European flora. Global Ecology and Biogeography 32: 1485–1494 [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Rowe, J. S. Bergsteinsson, J. L., Padbury, G. A. Hermesh, R. 1974. Fire studies in the Mackenzie Valley. ALUR 73-74-61. Ottawa: Canadian Department of Indian and Northern Development. 123 p. [Empirical evidence; Grey literature]
Stickney, P.F. 1989. Seral origin of species comprising secondary plant succession in Northern Rocky Mountain forests. FEIS workshop: Postfire regeneration. Unpublished draft on file at: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT. 10 p. [Empirical evidence; Grey literature]
Taylor, J. E. 2007. Andromeda polifolia. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/shrub/andpol/all.html [Empirical evidence; Grey literature]