(re)building from ashes

Like the bottlebrush, some banksias will not shed their seeds unless there is a fire.

Indeed, it is almost impossible to remove them from the plant because they are held in hard woody two-valved capsules.

But as the flames scorch the branches, the intense heat causes the capsules to open. Their front ends resemble pairs of brown lips on the side of the furry spike…

By releasing their seeds only in the wake of a fire, the banksias ensure that they will fall on well-cleaned, brightly-lit ground recently fertilised with ash and so get the most favourable of starts in what is, even at best, an extremely harsh and demanding environment.” (Attenborough 1995:188-190)