Flammability of native ornamental grasses with potential for use in green roofs
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/2447-536X.v32.e323076Keywords:
Fire behavior, plant combustibility, plant selection, urban fire risk, vegetated infrastructureAbstract
Grasses are widely used in extensive green roofs due to their ecological performance, yet fire-risk assessments for these systems remain scarce. Understanding species specific flammability is essential because vegetation drying, especially under low irrigation, may increase ignition potential in urban infrastructures. This study evaluated the flammability of native and commercial grass genotypes to identify safer options for green roof applications. The experiment was conducted simulating the conditions of an extensive green roof. Genotypes of Paspalum notatum (BRA006513, BRA019178, BRA023558, and the cultivars Aruaí, Tiriba, and Tuim), Axonopus parodii (cv. Curica), and Zoysia japonica as a reference species were cultivated from seedlings for 365 days. Morphological characteristics, biomass moisture, fire behavior parameters, surface temperatures, and grass plate weight were measured under controlled burning. Species differed significantly in fire behavior. Z. japonica exhibited the highest flame height (65 cm), rate of spread (0.03 m s-1), and fire intensity (24.56 kcal m-1 s-1), whereas BRA023558 showed the lowest susceptibility to fire. Moisture content varied among genotypes but was not correlated with fire parameters. Grass species vary widely in fire behavior parameters. These results support evidence- based plant selection for safer and more resilient urban green infrastructure. Thus, the BRA023558 genotype showed lower susceptibility to fire under burning conditions.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Victor Gurgel Pessoa, Vivian Loges, Tomás Guilherme Pereira da Silva, Maria Fernanda dos Santos Silva, Simone Santos Lira Silva, Ana Cecília Ribeiro de Castro, Clara Correia da Silva Santos
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