Lesser stitchwort
Stellaria graminea
Family: Carophyllaceae
Fire effect on plant
The direct effect of fire on lesser stitchwort is not described in the literature, but it is likely top-killed by fire.
Key traits
Lesser stitchwort is a clonal, perennial herb that spreads via stolons. It has a sizable shallow bud bank (23 buds on average) with an average depth of buds 2 cm below the soil surface (Klimešová et al. 2017).
It has an explosive seed-dispersal mechanism, dispersing seeds 1–5 m (Lososová et al. 2023). Longevity of the seed bank and fire effects of seeds are unclear.
Plant response to fire
Fire effects on lesser stitchwort populations are unclear from the literature. However, their belowground bud banks may allow survival, although its shallow depth makes them vulnerable to anything more than low-severity fires.
Timing of life history
Perennial. Seeds likely produced from second growing season. Flowering May to September.
Conservation status
None.
References
Klimešová, J., Danihelka, J., Chrtek, J., de Bello, F. and Herben, T. 2017. CLO-PLA: a database of clonal and budbank traits of the Central European flora. Ecology 98: 1179. [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]