Pearl worts
Sagina spp.
Family: Carophyllaceae
Examples: S. nodosa, S. procumbens
Fire effect on plant
Pearlworts are likely to be top-killed by fire with belowground buds surviving.
Key traits
Mat-forming, perennial, nonclonal plants that spread outward from a central rosette. They have belowground storage organs, such as corms or bulbils (depending upon the species). They can have a sizable, shallow bud bank (e.g., in S. procumbens, individuals had on average 13 buds at a depth of 3 cm; Klimešová et al. 2017).
Fire effects on seeds are unknown. Seeds are predominantly wind-dispersed and long-lived (BSBI ONline Plant Atlas 2020).
Plant response to fire
Given their shallow bud bank, it is possible that pearlworts can survive low-severity fires but is not described in the literature. Recruitment from a long-lived on-site seed bank or from seeds blown in on the wind is possible.
Timing of life history
Perennial species. Seeds likely produced from second growing season. Flowering June to July.
Conservation status
BAP - Sagina nivalis
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]
BSBI Online Plant Atlas. 2020. Sagina nodosa (L.) Fenzl. eds P.A. Stroh, T. A. Humphrey, R.J. Burkmar, O.L. Pescott, D.B. Roy, and K.J. Walker. https://plantatlas2020.org/atlas/2cd4p9h.w05 [Expert opinion; Grey literature]