On Earth, plants that utilize the C4 photosynthesis reaction account for 3% of flowering plant species but 23% of carbon that is fixed, and includes species popular for human consumption including corn (aka maize) and sugar cane; certain types of plants may be more productive at producing food for a given amount of light. Plants noted for colonizing the barren landscape in the aftermath of the Mt Saint Helen's eruption included Asteraceae and Epilobium, and especially Lupinus lepidus for its (symbiotic) ability to fix its own nitrogen. (see also :Category:Nitrogen-fixing crops, Rhizobia, Nitrogen fixation)
