A lignotuber is a starchy swelling of the root crown possessed by some plants as a protection against destruction of the plant stem by fire. The crown contains buds from which new stems may sprout, and a sufficient store of nutrients to support a period of growth in the absence of photosynthesis.
Plants possessing lignotubers include Eucalyptus marginata (Jarrah), most mallees, and many Banksia species.
Many plants with lignotubers grow in a shrubby habit, but with multiple stems arising from the lignotuber. The term lignotuberous shrub is widely used to describe this habit.
Lignotubers are part of fire ecology and plant adaptation and regeneration, such as chaparral genera and species.