Do plants have memory?

TO HAVE TRUE MEMORY AN ORGANISM requires brain cells to store experiences through the action of sophisticated neurotransmitters. Plants lacking brain cells therefore cannot be said to have that capacity for memory. However, there is evidence that some plants adapt their characteristics based on 'remembered' experiences.

- Sheena Harvey

From 2015 to 2019, a team of scientists in South Africa studied perennial savannah grasses that had a proven resilience to wildfires. Though they appeared to be destroyed by the flames, their roots were capable of regrowing quite quickly.

The researchers wanted to discover the long-term effects frequent wildfires have on burnt grasses, compared to those never experiencing fire. They studied grass plants on established experimental burn plots, set up in 1980 by the University of Fort Hare to assess whether controlled burning of savannah areas could restrict tree and shrub heights to benefit browsing livestock. They also took plants from control plots where no burning had occurred in those 35 years.