Ribwort plantain
Plantago lanceolata
Family: Plantaginaceae
Fire effect on plant
Ribwort plantain is likely top-killed by fire.
Key traits
Ribwort plantain is a perennial plant that has short rhizomes and a tap-root (Sagar & Harper, 1964). It can resprout after fire from buds on these underground structures, and using carbohydrates stored in the roots (Alberdi & Cavero, 2002). It has a high tolerance to disturbance in general, including factors causing defoliation (Sagar & Harper 1964; Klimešová and Klimeš, 2006). It also produces a considerable number of seeds (Latzel and Klimešová, 2009), and seedlings of this species recruit from a soil-sored seedbank following fire (Trabaud, 1992). Seed dispersal in this species is poor (0.1-1m; Lososová et al, 2023).
Plant response to fire
The ribwort plantain is highly tolerant of disturbance and requires an open habitat. Therefore in successional habitats, fire will likely benefit this species by maintaining their habitat.
Timing of life history
Perennial species. Seeds likely produced from second growing season. Flowers April to October.
Conservation status
None.
References
Alberdi, L., Cavero, Y. (2002). Effect of fire on the understorey species of a Quercus ilex L. subsp. ballota (Desf.) Samp. forest in Navarra, Spain. Pages 25-32 in L. Trabaud and R. Prodon, editors. Fire and biological processes. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, The Netherlands [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Klimešová J, Klimeš L (2006) CLO-PLA3 – a database of clonal growth architecture of Central-European plants. Available at: http://clopla.butbn.cas.cz [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Latzel V, Klimešová J (2009) Fitness of resprouters versus seeders in relation to nutrient availability in two Plantago species. Acta Oecol 35:541–547 [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Lososová Z., Axmanová I., Chytrý M., Midolo G., Abdulhak S., Karger D.N., Renaud J., Van Es J., Vittoz P. & Thuiller W. (2023). Seed dispersal distance classes and dispersal modes for the European flora. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 32(9), 1485–1494. [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Sagar, G. R., & Harper, J. L. (1964). Plantago Major L., P. Media L. and P. Lanceolata L. Journal of Ecology, 52(1), 189–221 [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Trabaud, L. (1992). Influence du régime des feux sur les modifications à court terme et la stabilité à long terme de la flore d'une garrigue de Quercus coccifera. Revue d'Ecologie-La Terre et La Vie 47: 209-230 [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]