Marsh woundwort
Stachys palustris
Family: Lamiaceae
Fire effect on plant
Marsh woundwort will likely be topkilled by fire but belowground rhizomes and bulbs will survive.
Key traits
Marsh woundwort is a perennial, clonal herb with long, creeping subsurface rhizomes producing small tubers at the apex in autumn (Taylor & Rowland, 2011). Its bud bank is on average 4cm below the soil surface (Klimešová et al, 2017).
Recruitment from the soil seedbank in unimportant relative to vegetative reproduction in maintaining populations (Taylor & Rowland, 2011). Dispersal of seed is predominantly via water in this species.
Plant response to fire
Although not described in the literature, marsh woundwort is likely to survive fire as belowground rhizomes. Its preference for damp soils may also protect belowground buds from lethal heating.
Timing of life history
Perennial species. Seeds likely produced from second growing season. Flowering June to September.
Conservation status
None.
References
Klimešová J., Danihelka J., Chrtek J., de Bello F. & Herben T. (2017) CLO-PLA: a database of clonal and budbank traits of the Central European flora. Ecology 98: 1179. [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Taylor, K. and Rowland, P. (2011), Biological Flora of the British Isles: Stachys palustris L.. Journal of Ecology, 99: 1081-1090. [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]