Serotiny

Serotiny is an ecological adaptation exhibited by some seed plants, in which seed release occurs in response to an environmental trigger, rather than spontaneously at seed maturation. The most common and best studied trigger is fire, and although serotiny is often used to refer to this specific case, this is an overgeneralization. Generally, serotiny refers to plants that release their seed over a long period of time, irrespective of whether release is spontaneous. In this sense, the term is synonymous with bradyspory.

Possible triggers include

Fire is the most common and best studied case, and the term serotiny is often used where pyriscence is intended. Some plants may respond to more than one of these triggers. For example Pinus halepensis exhibits primarily fire-mediated serotiny, but responds weakly to drying atmospheric conditions. Similarly, some Banksia species are strongly serotinous with respect to fire, but also release some seed in response to plant or branch death.