FireApproved

United States / Grow / Mountain Horopito

Mountain Horopito (Pseudowintera colorata)
Photo: (c) Colin Meurk, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) (CC BY-SA), via iNaturalist. Species-typical, not necessarily this cultivar.

Mountain Horopito

Pseudowintera colorata · Winteraceae · also called Red horopito, Alpine peppertree · Wikipedia

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Form
shrub
Region
New Zealand
Rated in
Global; New Zealand
On this lot

1. Fire evidence and conditions

Fire evidence
Mixed evidence — location does not change the cited classification.
Evidence regions
Global; New Zealand

2. Why this plant is relevant here

3. Legal, ecological, and broader status

How to read this page

The status above is computed from the cited rows below: independent recommendations can support a fire-resistant result, an avoid row can produce keep-away, and disagreement stays visible as conflict. Placement notes preserve each source’s own scheme rather than translating unlike rules into one scale. This is evidence about a plant, not permission to plant it in every part of the defensible space; Zone 0 remains noncombustible.

The evidence

Grouped by what each source concluded. Primary evidence rated the plant itself (a lab, field program, or original curation); corroboration compiled or republished another source's rating and resolves to its root lineage.

Mid-scale / conditional (1)

Listed without a rating (36)
Corroboration (36 rows from 1 source)

  • FLAMITS: FLAMmability plant traiTS database — Dryad / Global Ecology and Biogeography · Dryad version 9 · original source Corroboration Trait database lineage: meta-aggregator

    36 cited rows from this source; its identity, lineage and tier are stated once.

    • Primary study Alam2020: Alam, M. A., Wyse, S. V., Buckley, H. L., Perry, G. L. W., Sullivan, J. J., Mason, N. W. H., . . . Curran, T. J. (2020). Shoot flammability is decoupled from leaf flammability, but controlled by leaf functional traits. Journal of Ecology, 108, 641-653.

      Shared row context: plant part branches; fuel all; predrying yes; device grill; site Alam2020-1; sampling ND.

      • “ignition frequency (%): 91.6”

        FLAMITS record 13; Ignitability measurement.

      • “maximum sample temperature (°C): 543.33”

        FLAMITS record 29; Combustibility measurement.

      • “burning duration (s): 32.25”

        FLAMITS record 45; Sustainability measurement.

      • “estimated burnt biomass (%): 44.17”

        FLAMITS record 61; Consumability measurement.

    • Primary study Cui2020a: Cui, X., Paterson, A. M., Wyse, S. V., Alam, M. A., Maurin, K. J. L., Pieper, R., ... Curran, T. J. (2020a). Shoot flammability of vascular plants is phylogenetically conserved and related to habitat fire-proneness and growth form. Nature Plants, 6, 355-359.

      Shared row context: plant part branches; fuel all; predrying yes; device grill; site Cui2020a-1; sampling ND.

      • “ignition frequency (%): 91.7”

        FLAMITS record 1488; Ignitability measurement.

      • “maximum sample temperature (°C): 543.3”

        FLAMITS record 1682; Combustibility measurement.

      • “burning duration (s): 32.3”

        FLAMITS record 1876; Sustainability measurement.

      • “estimated burnt biomass (%): 43.3”

        FLAMITS record 2070; Consumability measurement.

    • Primary study Mason2016: Mason, N. W. H., Frazao, C., Buxton, R. P., & Richardson, S. J. (2016). Fire form and function: evidence for exaptive flammability in the New Zealand flora. Plant Ecology, 217, 645-659.

      Shared row context: plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; device muffle furnace; site Mason2016-3; sampling summer.

      • Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement.

        • “temperature at smoke (°C): 84.26”

          FLAMITS record 8498.

        • “temperature at smoke (°C): 181.7”

          FLAMITS record 8499.

        • “temperature at smoke (°C): 88.18”

          FLAMITS record 8504.

        • “temperature at smoke (°C): 153.52”

          FLAMITS record 8505.

        • “temperature at flaming (°C): 196.44”

          FLAMITS record 8713.

        • “temperature at flaming (°C): 209.22”

          FLAMITS record 8714.

        • “temperature at flaming (°C): 208.02”

          FLAMITS record 8719.

        • “temperature at flaming (°C): 222.44”

          FLAMITS record 8720.

      • Shared measurement context: Combustibility measurement.

        • “temperature increase rate (°C/s): 30.25”

          FLAMITS record 8928.

        • “temperature increase rate (°C/s): 30.12”

          FLAMITS record 8929.

        • “temperature increase rate (°C/s): 24.42”

          FLAMITS record 8934.

        • “temperature increase rate (°C/s): 20.46”

          FLAMITS record 8935.

    • Primary study Sultana2022: Sultana, N. (2022). Traits underpinning the eco-physiological processes linking drought and flammability. PhD. Dissertation. Lincoln University.

      Shared row context: plant part branches; fuel all; predrying yes; device grill; site Sultana2022-1.

      • “time to flaming (s): 5.5”

        FLAMITS record 16113; Ignitability measurement; sampling autum 2019.

      • “time to flaming (s): 7.48”

        FLAMITS record 16114; Ignitability measurement; sampling winter 2019.

      • “time to flaming (s): 5.99”

        FLAMITS record 16115; Ignitability measurement; sampling spring 2019.

      • “time to flaming (s): 4.96”

        FLAMITS record 16116; Ignitability measurement; sampling summer 2019.

      • “maximum flame temperature (°C): 416.47”

        FLAMITS record 16153; Combustibility measurement; sampling autum 2019.

      • “maximum flame temperature (°C): 317.64”

        FLAMITS record 16154; Combustibility measurement; sampling winter 2019.

      • “maximum flame temperature (°C): 622.94”

        FLAMITS record 16155; Combustibility measurement; sampling spring 2019.

      • “maximum flame temperature (°C): 536.47”

        FLAMITS record 16156; Combustibility measurement; sampling summer 2019.

      • “estimated burnt biomass (%): 11.56”

        FLAMITS record 16193; Consumability measurement; sampling autum 2019.

      • “estimated burnt biomass (%): 9.54”

        FLAMITS record 16194; Consumability measurement; sampling winter 2019.

      • “estimated burnt biomass (%): 49.84”

        FLAMITS record 16195; Consumability measurement; sampling spring 2019.

      • “estimated burnt biomass (%): 32.48”

        FLAMITS record 16196; Consumability measurement; sampling summer 2019.

      • “burning duration (s): 24.28”

        FLAMITS record 16233; Sustainability measurement; sampling autum 2019.

      • “burning duration (s): 12.74”

        FLAMITS record 16234; Sustainability measurement; sampling winter 2019.

      • “burning duration (s): 33.93”

        FLAMITS record 16235; Sustainability measurement; sampling spring 2019.

      • “burning duration (s): 22.71”

        FLAMITS record 16236; Sustainability measurement; sampling summer 2019.

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Last verified 2026-08-23. JSON (CC BY 4.0)

Profiles: GBIF · iNaturalist · Wikidata · Wikipedia ·

Pseudowintera colorata (Red horopito, Alpine peppertree). FireApproved. https://fireapproved.com/plants/pseudowintera-colorata/. Last verified 2026-08-23.