Brachyglottis

Five of seven assessed members receive that verdict; for the other two, the sources do not take a side. The genus therefore leans resistant, while those two assessments remain unresolved.

The resistant members show some variation within that broad agreement. Brachyglottis bellidioides is rated fire resistant on a single listing, which classifies it as having very low flammability. Brachyglottis bidwillii and Brachyglottis buchananii are each rated fire resistant on a single listing, with low to moderate flammability classifications. Brachyglottis elaeagnifolia is also rated fire resistant and classified as having very low flammability.

Brachyglottis belongs to the Asteraceae family and is grown as a perennial or shrub. Bushman’s friend is the genus’s most-studied member, but that distinction does not make one species’ assessment apply to every brachyglottis. The sensible reading is that fire resistance is common among the assessed members, not guaranteed across the genus. For a particular plant, the species-level finding matters more than the genus name alone.