Woodrushes
Luzula spp.
Family: Juncaceae
Examples: L. campestris, L. multiflora, L. Pilosa, L. spicata, L. sylvatica
Fire effect on plant
Fire top-kills woodrushes, but rhizomes or belowground buds may survive.
Key traits
Woodrushes have rhizomes from which they can resprout (Kazanis and Arianoutsou 2004; Valbuena et al. 2000).
Woodrush species can also develop soil seedbanks that survive fires (Schimmel and Granström 1996; Ryan 2002). The seeds of woodrush species are predominantly dispersed by ants, attaining moderate dispersal distances (2-15m; Lososová et al. 2023).
Plant response to fire
Luzula species benefit from fire, and often show an increase in biomass following fire (Crane and Fischer 1986). Luzula may require fire to maintain favourable conditions and reduce competition, and disappear when fire is absent (Grau-Andrés et al. 2019).
Timing of life history
Perennial species. Seeds likely produced from second growing season. Flowering June to July.
Conservation status
BAP - Luzula arcuata, Luzula pallidula
References
Crane, M.F., Fischer, W.C. 1986. Fire ecology of the forest habitat types of central Idaho. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-218. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 85 p [Empirical evidence; Grey literature]
Grau-Andrés, R., Davies, G. M., Waldron, S., Scott, E. M. and Grey, A. 2019. Increased fire severity alters initial vegetation regeneration across Calluna-dominated ecosystems. Journal of Environmental Management 231: 1004-1011. [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Kazanis, D., Arianoutsou, M. 2004. Long-term post-fire vegetation dynamics in Pinus halepensis forests of Central Greece: A functional group approach. Plant Ecology 171: 101-121. [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]
Ryan, K. C. 2002. Dynamic interactions between forest structure and fire behavior in boreal ecosystems. Silva Fenn 36: 13–39 [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Schimmel, J. and Granström, A.1996. Fire severity and vegetation response in the boreal Swedish forest. Ecology 77: 1436–1450 [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Valbuena, L., Tárrega, R., Luís-Calabuig, E. 2000. Seed banks of Erica australis and Calluna vulgaris in a heathland subjected to experimental fire. Journal of Vegetation Science 11: 161-166 [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]