Course

Title

FireWorks for the Northern Rocky Mountains and Northern Cascades - M16: Buried Treasures: Identifying Plants by their Underground Parts
Course Type: FireWorks activities
Availability: Public access
Author(s): FireWorks Educational Program
Contact(s):
  • Ilana L. Abrahamson
    US Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program
    ilana.l.abrahamson@usda.gov
Date Created: October 16, 2017
Ongoing

Cataloging Information

Keyword(s):
  • plants
  • species identification
Topic(s):
Region(s):
Partner Site(s):
Record Maintained By:
FRAMES Staff; https://www.frames.gov/contact
Record Last Modified: February 17, 2020
FRAMES Record Number: 25043

Description

Lesson Overview: Students examine specimens of nine plant species - grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs - and use a dichotomous key to identify them based on their “buried treasures” - underground parts that can sprout after fire and grow new plants.

Lesson Goal: To increase student understanding that plants have many ways to survive wildland fire and/or reproduce successfully after fire, including underground structures.

Objectives:

  • Students can recognize different kinds of underground plant parts that can sprout new plants (bulb, rhizome, root crown, caudex) after fire.
  • Students can use a dichotomous key to determine the species of each one.
Online Link(s):
M16: Buried Treasure - Lesson Plan (240 KB; pdf)
Handout M16-1 (51 KB; pdf)
Handout M16-2 (68 KB; pdf)
Handout M16-2: Answer Key (63 KB; pdf)
M16: Buried Treasure RM (3.7 MB; ppt)