What is the first plant to inhabit a volcano flow?
Loriann
Facer
Dear Loriann,
In Hawai'i, the first plant to inhabit a flow is almost always ferns, and they
start showing up only a few months to a year after the flow cools. This is
particularly true on the wet side of the island where there are lots of ferns in
the nearby forest. On the dry side of the island, it takes a lot longer for
plants to get established, and usually they are grasses.
Sincerely,
Scott Rowland, University of North Dakota
Other Categories
Other Questions
To VolcanoWorld