Question: What is the most flammable plant

Thomas Smith answered on 17 Jun 2014:

Hmm, I’ve not really thought about this before. Why do you want to know? 😉

The most flammable plants are those that contain a lot of resin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resin). Resin is a hydrocarbon, similar to petroleum jelly (vaseline). When resin is heated it becomes highly flammable. This is why the most dangerous wildfires occur in Pine tree forests (pine trees contain a lot of resin). In Australia, the worst fires occur in Eucalyptus tree forests. These trees also contain a lot of resin and oils that are highly flammable.

Another factor that affects how flammable a plant is, is how likely a fire might spread to other plants. In most Pine forests, the canopy of the tree is far above the ground, so it’s very difficult to for the trees to catch fire. However, for a forest of young trees (like plantation forests for timber logging), the canopy is closer to the ground.

So to answer your question, I would say the most flammable plant is a young pine tree, because it contains a lot of resin, and because its canopy is close to the ground.