9 plants that are naturally unafraid of fire, whose seeds survive burning and which even draw nutrients from flames

The miracle of life in these amazing plants and flowers is that they can keep reproducing even in a blazing fire. Let us take stock of them below:

Molly Marquand

California Lilac

This is a typical West Coast native plant. This tall blue-flowered shrub is covered in masses of frothy blooms from late spring all the way into early summer. More importantly, it also has surprising fire resistance. The shrub resprouts after burning, and its hard, dark seeds are unaffected by the heat, germinating after the fire has cleared the land.

Columbia Lily

Safe beneath the soil, almost all bulb plants can withstand low-intensity scorching - but the Columbia Lily is one of the most beautiful. Native to the high-altitude zones of Europe and America, this lily blooms in clusters of orange flowers; from June to August, the hillsides shimmer under a baptism of bright petals.

Fireweed

This beautiful purple-flowered perennial can develop serious resistance to fire, depending on the depth of its creeping rhizomes. Even in shallower soils, the seeds of this Epilobium plant are a prolific seed disperser, making it one of the first flowering species to establish itself in newly burned sites.

Beargrass

In moist, freely draining soils from California to western Canada, Beargrass is a highly adaptable member of the corn lily family. In summer, white flowers begin to bloom; the plant's leaves provide very little fuel for wildfires, while its rhizomes lie buried beneath the soil, safe from all but the hottest burns.

Camassia

Another hardy native bulb, Camassia is an early-spring staple of western mountain meadows. In June, this edible perennial thrives in areas that have been burned. In fact, Native Americans are reported to have set fires to optimise the production of this important food source.

Manzanita

Manzanita

Manzanita is a gorgeous shrub full of dangling flowers, and in spring it is one of the best fire-resistant plants in the West. In the wild, many species in this rugged genus need fire in order to germinate. In the garden, the leaves of mature plants burn quickly in a fire, while the shrub's green wood is left unaffected.

Ocotillo

Ocotillo is a true desert native, needing warm, freely draining soil and plenty of blazing sun to thrive. This long-legged shrub resprouts after burning and wastes no time regrowing its long architectural stems and bright red trumpet-shaped flowers.

San Diego Sunflower

San Diego Sunflower thrives in those dry, rocky, hard-to-cultivate corners, blooming with yellow daisies all year round. Accustomed to life in hot, fire-prone Southern California, this sunflower is very tough. In fact, the only climate variables it cannot tolerate are standing water and hard frost.

Yucca

A symbol of the desert West, Yucca actually tolerates a wide range of conditions. Whatever the environment, as long as there is plenty of sunlight, the towering spikes of yucca rosettes will dazzle the eye. No stranger to fire, Yucca is tough, its fibrous leaves burning slowly, and many species resprout rapidly after burning.