AusTraits

Acacia spathulifolia

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Fabaceae

Taxonomy: Acacia spathulifolia Maslin

Synonyms: 3 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Acacia spathulata F.Muell. ex Benth. (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Acacia spatulata F.Muell. (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Racosperma spathulifolium (Maslin) Pedley (nomenclatural synonym)

Distribution (APC): WA

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

Traits

Top source datasets: ABRS_2022 (4), ABRS_2023 (16), Chen_2017 (4), Clarke_2015 (3), Collette_2021 (1), Detombeur_2021 (9), Enright_2014 (17), Hayes_2014 (120), Laliberte_2012 (23), Maslin_2012 (13), Schulze_2014 (11), Sjostrom_2006 (4), Sweedman_2006 (4), Tsakalos_2020 (18), Tsakalos_2022 (2), WAH_2022_2 (4), WAH_2023_2 (2), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 75 traits from 258 records in 19 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
flower morphology
  • sex_type (categorical): andromonoecious (1) [sources: Sjostrom_2006]
fruit morphology
  • fruit_length (numerical): 40 mm (40-40 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023]
  • fruit_width (numerical): 4.25 mm (4-4.5 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023]
  • fruit_type (categorical): legume (3) [sources: ABRS_2023; Chen_2017; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_fleshiness (categorical): dry (3) [sources: Chen_2017; Sjostrom_2006; Tsakalos_2020]
  • fruit_dehiscence (categorical): dehiscent (2) [sources: Chen_2017; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_colour (categorical): brown (1) [sources: ABRS_2023]
leaf morphology
  • leaf_area (numerical): 500.71 mm2 (221.19-852.56 mm2) [sources: Laliberte_2012; Schulze_2014]
  • leaf_length (numerical): 15 mm (10-20 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Maslin_2012]
  • leaf_width (numerical): 3 mm (1.5-4.5 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Maslin_2012]
  • leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 300.78 g/m2 (197.65-632.32 g/m2) [sources: Laliberte_2012; Schulze_2014]
  • leaf_dry_matter_content (numerical): 0.26 g/g (0.23-0.31 g/g) [sources: Laliberte_2012]
  • leaf_shape (categorical): narrowly_oblong (1); oblanceolate (1) [sources: ABRS_2023]
  • leaf_margin (categorical): entire (1) [sources: Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (2) [sources: Maslin_2012; Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_lamina_posture (categorical): conduplicate (1); flat (1) [sources: Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_glaucousness (categorical): glaucous (2); not_glaucous (2) [sources: Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_hairs_adult_leaves (categorical): glabrous (1) [sources: Tsakalos_2020]
  • plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (1); phyllode (3) [sources: ABRS_2023; Maslin_2012; Schulze_2014; Tsakalos_2020]
life history
  • photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c3 (1) [sources: Tsakalos_2020]
  • plant_growth_form (categorical): shrub (5) [sources: ABRS_2022; Laliberte_2012; Maslin_2012; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022]
  • life_history (categorical): perennial (5) [sources: ABRS_2022; Maslin_2012; Tsakalos_2020; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2023]
  • woodiness_detailed (categorical): woody (4) [sources: ABRS_2022; Tsakalos_2020; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022]
  • stem_growth_habit (categorical): dense (2); prostrate (1); spreading (2) [sources: ABRS_2022; Tsakalos_2020; WAH_2022_2]
  • leaf_phenology (categorical): evergreen (2) [sources: Maslin_2012; Schulze_2014]
  • nitrogen_fixing (categorical): nitrogen_fixer (3); non_nitrogen_fixer (1) [sources: Hayes_2014; Laliberte_2012; Schulze_2014; Tsakalos_2020]
  • root_structure (categorical): arbuscular_mycorrhizal (3) [sources: Hayes_2014; Laliberte_2012; Tsakalos_2020]
  • parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (1) [sources: Tsakalos_2020]
  • flowering_time (categorical): nnnnyyyyyynn (1) [sources: Tsakalos_2020]
  • seedbank_location (categorical): soil_seedbank (1) [sources: Enright_2014]
  • seed_dormancy_class (categorical): physical_dormancy (1) [sources: Collette_2021]
  • vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): not_vegetative (1) [sources: Tsakalos_2022]
  • clonal_spread_mechanism (categorical): non_clonal (1) [sources: Tsakalos_2022]
  • bud_bank_location (categorical): none (1) [sources: Clarke_2015]
nutrient and stable isotope
  • leaf_N_per_dry_mass (numerical): 9.74 mg/g (2.63-12.9 mg/g) [sources: Hayes_2014; Laliberte_2012; Schulze_2014]
  • leaf_P_per_dry_mass (numerical): 0.32 mg/g (0.24-0.4 mg/g) [sources: Detombeur_2021; Hayes_2014]
  • leaf_delta13C (numerical): -25.75 {delta}[ppth] (-26.1--25.47 {delta}[ppth]) [sources: Laliberte_2012; Schulze_2014]
seed morphology
  • seed_length (numerical): 4 mm (4-4 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Maslin_2012]
  • seed_shape (categorical): ellipsoid (2); ovoid_elongated (1) [sources: ABRS_2023; Maslin_2012]
whole plant morphology

Sources

dataset_idn_traitsn_recordsreference
Hayes_201426120P. Hayes, B. L. Turner, H. Lambers, and E. Laliberte. “Foliar nutrient concentrations and resorption efficiency in plants of contrasting nutrient-acquisition strategies along a 2-million-year dune chronosequence”. Journal of Ecology 102.2 (2013), pp. 396-410. doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.12196.
Laliberte_20121023E. Laliberte, B. L. Turner, T. Costes, S. J. Pearse, K. Wyrwoll, G. Zemunik, and H. Lambers. “Experimental assessment of nutrient limitation along a 2-million-year dune chronosequence in the south-western Australia biodiversity hotspot”. Journal of Ecology 100 (2012), pp. 631-642. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2745.2012.01962.x.
Tsakalos_20201718J. L. Tsakalos, M. Renton, F. Riviera, E. J. Veneklaas, M. P. Dobrowolski, and L. Mucina. “Trait-based formal definition of plant functional types and functional communities in the multi-species and multi-traits context”. Ecological Complexity 40 (2019), p. 100787. doi: 10.1016/j.ecocom.2019.100787.
Enright_2014317N. J. Enright, J. B. Fontaine, B. B. Lamont, B. P. Miller, and V. C. Westcott. “Resistance and resilience to changing climate and fire regime depend on plant functional traits”. Journal of Ecology 102 (2014), pp. 1572-1581. doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.12306.
ABRS_20231216Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
Maslin_20121013B. Maslin. WATTLE, Interactive Identification of Australian Acacia. Version 2. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra, 2014.
Schulze_20141011E. D. Schulze, D. Nicolle, A. Boerner, M. Lauerer, G. Aas, and I. Schulze. “Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of Eucalyptus and Acacia species along a seasonal rainfall gradient in Western Australia”. Trees 28.4 (2014), pp. 1125-1135. doi: 10.1007/s00468-014-1023-0.
Detombeur_202199F. de Tombeur, E. Laliberte, H. Lambers, M. Faucon, G. Zemunik, B. L. Turner, J. Cornelis, and G. Mahy. “A shift from phenol to silica-based leaf defenses during long-term soil and ecosystem development”. Ecology Letters 24.5 (2021), pp. 984-995. doi: 10.1111/ele.13713.
ABRS_202244Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
Chen_201744Chen, 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.
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.
Sweedman_200624L. Sweedman and D. Merritt. Australian Seeds: A Guide to Their Collection, Identification, and Biology. CSIRO Publishing, 2006. ISBN: 9780643094079.
WAH_2022_244Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.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.
Tsakalos_202222J. L. Tsakalos, G. Ottaviani, S. Chelli, A. Rea, S. Elder, M. P. Dobrowolski, and L. Mucina. “Plant clonality in a soil-impoverished open ecosystem: insights from southwest Australian shrublands”. Annals of Botany 130.7 (2022), pp. 981-990. doi: 10.1093/aob/mcac131.
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.
Collette_202111J. C. Collette and M. K. J. Ooi. “Distribution of seed dormancy classes across a fire-prone continent: effects of rainfall seasonality and temperature”. Annals of Botany 127.5 (2021), pp. 613-620. doi: 10.1093/aob/mcaa203.
Wenk_202311E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant life history dataset, University of New South Wales, Sydney”. 2023.