AusTraits

Acacia difficilis

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Fabaceae

Taxonomy: Acacia difficilis Maiden

Synonyms: 2 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Acacia tumida F.Muell. ex Benth. (pro parte taxonomic synonym)
  • Racosperma difficile (Maiden) Pedley (nomenclatural synonym)

Distribution (APC): WA, NT, Qld

Profiles: APC, Flora of Australia, ALA, iNaturalist, NT eFlora, Florabase, ATRP

Traits

Top source datasets: ABRS_2022 (3), ABRS_2023 (18), Chen_2017 (5), Clarke_2015 (3), Crowley_2007 (2), Ilic_2000 (2), Kew_2019_1 (2), Kew_2019_6 (2), Lord_1997 (4), Maslin_2012 (16), Munroe_2019 (1), NTH_2014 (3), NTH_2022 (4), NTH_2023 (20), Nano_2011 (3), RussellSmith_2012 (4), Schmidt_2003 (33), Sjostrom_2006 (4), WAH_2022_2 (3), WAH_2023_2 (2), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), Wright_2008 (8), Wright_2019 (435). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 78 traits from 580 records in 24 datasets.

Traits by category (click to expand). For categorical traits, the values are listed. For numerical traits, the mean and range are shown.

fire response
  • resprouting_capacity (categorical): fire_killed (1); partial_resprouting (1); resprouts (2) [sources: Clarke_2015; Crowley_2007; Nano_2011; RussellSmith_2012]
  • post_fire_recruitment (categorical): post_fire_recruitment (1) [sources: Clarke_2015]
flower morphology
  • sex_type (categorical): andromonoecious (1) [sources: Sjostrom_2006]
fruit morphology
  • fruit_length (numerical): 92.5 mm (30-155 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; NTH_2023]
  • fruit_width (numerical): 3.5 mm (3-4 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; NTH_2023]
  • fruit_type (categorical): legume (4) [sources: ABRS_2023; Chen_2017; NTH_2023; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_fleshiness (categorical): dry (2) [sources: Chen_2017; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_dehiscence (categorical): dehiscent (2) [sources: Chen_2017; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_colour (categorical): brown (1) [sources: NTH_2023]
leaf morphology
  • leaf_area (numerical): 2895.5 mm2 (887.86-3709 mm2) [sources: Wright_2008; Wright_2019]
  • leaf_length (numerical): 115.83 mm (55-200 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Maslin_2012; NTH_2023]
  • leaf_width (numerical): 26.67 mm (15-40 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Maslin_2012; NTH_2023]
  • leaf_dry_mass (numerical): 219.5 mg (73.2-409 mg) [sources: Wright_2019]
  • leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 110.05 g/m2 (80-135.14 g/m2) [sources: Wright_2008; Wright_2019]
  • leaf_mass_fraction (numerical): 0.58 g/g (0.43-0.72 g/g) [sources: Wright_2019]
  • leaf_dry_matter_content (numerical): 0.14 g/g (0.05-0.2 g/g) [sources: Schmidt_2003]
  • leaf_shape (categorical): elliptical (1); falcate (2); narrowly_elliptical (1) [sources: ABRS_2023; NTH_2023]
  • leaf_base_shape (categorical): attenuate (1); oblique (1) [sources: NTH_2023]
  • leaf_compoundness (categorical): compound (1); simple (1) [sources: Maslin_2012; NTH_2023]
  • plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (1); phyllode (2) [sources: ABRS_2023; Maslin_2012; NTH_2023]
life history
  • photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c3 (2) [sources: Munroe_2019; Schmidt_2003]
  • plant_growth_form (categorical): shrub (5); tree (7) [sources: ABRS_2022; Lord_1997; Maslin_2012; NTH_2022; Schmidt_2003; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022]
  • life_history (categorical): perennial (6) [sources: ABRS_2022; Maslin_2012; NTH_2022; Schmidt_2003; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2023]
  • woodiness_detailed (categorical): woody (4) [sources: ABRS_2022; NTH_2022; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022]
  • stem_growth_habit (categorical): erect (1) [sources: NTH_2022]
  • leaf_phenology (categorical): evergreen (3) [sources: Maslin_2012; NTH_2014; Schmidt_2003]
  • nitrogen_fixing (categorical): nitrogen_fixer (2) [sources: Schmidt_2003; Wright_2008]
  • root_structure (categorical): arbuscular_mycorrhizal (1); ectomycorrhizal (1) [sources: Schmidt_2003]
  • dispersal_syndrome (categorical): myrmecochory (1) [sources: Lord_1997]
  • dispersers (categorical): ants (1) [sources: Lord_1997]
  • flowering_time (categorical): nnnnnyyyynnn (1); nnnyyyyyyynn (2) [sources: Chen_2017; Maslin_2012; NTH_2014]
  • seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): persistent (1) [sources: RussellSmith_2012]
  • bud_bank_location (categorical): basal_stem_buds (2); epicormic_buds (3); none (1) [sources: Clarke_2015; Crowley_2007; Nano_2011]
nutrient and stable isotope
  • leaf_N_per_dry_mass (numerical): 16.54 mg/g (12-30.91 mg/g) [sources: Schmidt_2003; Wright_2008; Wright_2019]
  • leaf_P_per_dry_mass (numerical): 0.73 mg/g (0.42-1.13 mg/g) [sources: Wright_2008; Wright_2019]
  • leaf_delta13C (numerical): -29.04 {delta}[ppth] (-30.31--27.36 {delta}[ppth]) [sources: Schmidt_2003; Wright_2019]
seed morphology
  • seed_dry_mass (numerical): 20.51 mg (16.7-25.62 mg) [sources: Kew_2019_1; Lord_1997]
  • seed_length (numerical): 7 mm (5-9 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Maslin_2012; NTH_2023]
  • seed_width (numerical): 3.07 mm (2-4 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Maslin_2012; NTH_2023]
  • seed_shape (categorical): ellipsoid (2); ovoid_elongated (2) [sources: ABRS_2023; Maslin_2012; NTH_2023]
stem morphology
  • wood_density (numerical): 0.68 mg/mm3 (0.49-0.78 mg/mm3) [sources: Ilic_2000; Wright_2019]
whole plant morphology
  • plant_height (numerical): 7.56 m (2-13 m) [sources: ABRS_2023; Maslin_2012; NTH_2023; WAH_2023_2]

Sources

dataset_idn_traitsn_recordsreference
Wright_201937435I. J. Wright, J. Cooke, L. A. Cernusak, L. B. Hutley, M. C. Scalon, W. C. Tozer, and C. E. R. Lehmann. “Stem diameter growth rates in a fire-prone savanna correlate with photosynthetic rate and branch-scale biomass allocation, but not specific leaf area”. Austral Ecology 44.2 (2018), pp. 339-350. doi: 10.1111/aec.12678.
Schmidt_20031133S. Schmidt and G. R. Stewart. “d15N values of tropical savanna and monsoon forest species reflect root specialisations and soil nitrogen status”. Oecologia 134 (2003), pp. 569-577. doi: 10.1007/s00442-002-1150-y.
NTH_20231420D. of Land Resource Management and N. T. of Australia. Northern Territory Flora Online. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2022. url: http://eflora.nt.gov.au/.
ABRS_20231118Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
Maslin_20121216B. Maslin. WATTLE, Interactive Identification of Australian Acacia. Version 2. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra, 2014.
Wright_200888I. J. Wright. “Unpublished data: Trait data for Northern Territory savanna species, Macquarie University”. 2008.
Chen_201755Chen, S.-C., Cornwell, W., Z. H.-X., Moles, and A. T. “Plants show more flesh in the tropics: Variation in fruit type along latitudinal and climatic gradients.”. Ecography 40 (2017), pp. 531-538. doi: abs/10.1111/ecog.02010.
Lord_199744J. Lord, J. Egan, T. Clifford, E. Jurado, M. Leishman, D. Williams, and M. Westoby. “Larger seeds in tropical floras: Consistent patterns independent of growth form and dispersal mode”. Journal of Biogeography 24 (1997), pp. 205-211. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2699.1997.00126.x.
NTH_202244D. of Land Resource Management and N. T. of Australia. Northern Territory Flora Online. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2022. url: http://eflora.nt.gov.au/.
RussellSmith_201244J. Russell-Smith, M. R. Gardener, C. Brock, K. Brennan, C. P. Yates, and B. Grace. “Fire persistence traits can be used to predict vegetation response to changing fire regimes at expansive landscape scales - an Australian example”. Journal of Biogeography 39 (2012), pp. 1657-1668. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2012.02714.x.
Sjostrom_200644A. Sjöström and C. L. Gross. “Life-history characters and phylogeny are correlated with extinction risk in the Australian angiosperms”. Journal of Biogeography 33.2 (2006), pp. 271-290. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2005.01393.x.
ABRS_202233Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
Clarke_201533P. J. Clarke, M. J. Lawes, B. P. Murphy, J. Russell-Smith, C. E. Nano, R. Bradstock, N. J. Enright, J. B. Fontaine, C. R. Gosper, I. Radford, J. J. Midgley, and R. M. Gunton. “A synthesis of postfire recovery traits of woody plants in Australian ecosystems”. Science of The Total Environment 534 (2015), pp. 31-42. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.04.002.
NTH_201433Northern Territory Herbarium. Flora of the Darwin Region Online. 2014. url: http://www.lrm.nt.gov.au/plants-and-animals/herbarium/darwin_flora_online.
Nano_201123C. E. M. Nano and P. J. Clarke. “How do drought and fire influence the patterns of resprouting in Australian deserts?”. Plant Ecology 212 (2011), pp. 2095-2110. doi: 10.1007/s11258-011-9988-x.
WAH_2022_233Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
Crowley_200722G. Crowley, M. Gardener, and M. Marrinan. Tropical savannas fire response database. 2007. url: [www.landmanager.org.au](www.landmanager.org.au).
Ilic_200012J. Ilic, D. Boland, M. McDonald, D. G, and P. Blakemore. Woody density phase 1 - State of knowledge. National Carbon Accounting System. Technical Report 18. Tech. rep. Australian Greenhouse Office, Canberra, Australia, 2000.
Kew_2019_112Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
Kew_2019_612Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Germination data from the Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
WAH_2023_212Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
Wenk_202222E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant growth forms dataset”. 2022.
Munroe_201911S. E. M. Munroe, F. A. McInerney, J. Andrae, N. Welti, G. R. Guerin, E. Leitch, T. Hall, S. Szarvas, R. Atkins, S. Caddy-Retalic, and B. Sparrow. “The Photosynthetic Pathways of Plant Species Surveyed in Australia's National Terrestrial Monitoring Network”. Scientific Data 8 (2021), p. 97. doi: 10.1038/s41597-021-00877-z.
Wenk_202311E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant life history dataset, University of New South Wales, Sydney”. 2023.