Epicormic buds of jarrah help the trees survive fire by remaining dormant until extreme heat triggers their growth.
Heritage list Old Jarrah tree in Armadale Western Australia, estimated age is between 300-400 years. The building works around the tree are part of a multi story carpark.
This is a map of the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation of Australia (IBRA), with state boundaries overlaid. The '''Jarrah Forest''' region is filled in grey.
“Epicormic buds are formed in the angles between leaves and the stem of young plants and become dormant. In woody plants, as the stems increase in thickness, these buds extend to keep pace with the enlarging cylinder of wood but become enclosed by the outside layers of cork. The corky blanket insulates them from fire, aided by soil in the lowermost parts, and when the dormancy is broken by the heat of the fire they break through the cork and form leafy stems.” (Dawson and Lucas 2005:131)
