AusTraits

Alstonia scholaris

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Apocynaceae

Taxonomy: Alstonia scholaris (L.) R.Br.

Synonyms: 2 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Alstonia scholaris (L.) R.Br. var. scholaris (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Echites scholaris L. (nomenclatural synonym)

Distribution (APC): Qld

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

Traits

Top source datasets: ABRS_2022 (3), ABRS_2023 (19), ATRP_2020 (1), Apgaua_2015 (48), Apgaua_2017 (12), Bloomfield_2018 (156), Buckton_2019 (131), Cheesman_2020 (19), Cooper_2013 (13), Falster_2005_1 (9), Gray_2019 (39), Gross_2005 (4), Ilic_2000 (2), Kanowski_2000 (24), Kew_2019_1 (4), Kew_2019_5 (1), Kooyman_2011 (13), Metcalfe_2009 (21), Rumman_2018 (4), Sams_2017 (6), Sjostrom_2006 (4), Weerasinghe_2014 (47), Wells_2012 (94), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), Wright_2000 (1), Zanne_2009 (1), eFLOWER_Dun_2022 (36). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 150 traits from 715 records in 28 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
  • flower_colour (categorical): white_cream (1) [sources: eFLOWER_Dun_2022]
  • flower_diameter (numerical): 0.64 cm (0.28-1 cm) [sources: eFLOWER_Dun_2022]
  • sex_type (categorical): hermaphrodite (2) [sources: Gross_2005; Sjostrom_2006]
fruit morphology
  • fruit_length (numerical): 267.5 mm (150-450 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Cooper_2013]
  • fruit_width (numerical): 5 mm (4-6 mm) [sources: Cooper_2013]
  • fruit_type (categorical): follicle (5) [sources: ABRS_2023; Cooper_2013; Gross_2005; Sams_2017; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_fleshiness (categorical): dry (6) [sources: Cooper_2013; Gross_2005; Metcalfe_2009; Sams_2017; Sjostrom_2006; Wells_2012]
  • fruit_dehiscence (categorical): dehiscent (4); indehiscent (1) [sources: Cooper_2013; Gross_2005; Sams_2017; Sjostrom_2006; Wells_2012]
leaf morphology
  • leaf_area (numerical): 5585.81 mm2 (1920-10350 mm2) [sources: Apgaua_2015; Buckton_2019; Cheesman_2020; Falster_2005_1; Kanowski_2000; Metcalfe_2009; Wells_2012]
  • leaf_length (numerical): 151.11 mm (98.9-230 mm) [sources: Apgaua_2015; ABRS_2023; Kooyman_2011]
  • leaf_width (numerical): 52.09 mm (37.4-75 mm) [sources: Apgaua_2015; ABRS_2023; Kooyman_2011]
  • leaf_dry_mass (numerical): 446.3 mg (58.81-630.08 mg) [sources: Buckton_2019; Wells_2012]
  • petiole_length (numerical): 0.95 cm (0.7-1.2 cm) [sources: ABRS_2023]
  • leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 108.76 g/m2 (28.63-149.7 g/m2) [sources: Apgaua_2015; Bloomfield_2018; Buckton_2019; Cheesman_2020; Falster_2005_1; Gray_2019; Kanowski_2000; Sams_2017; Weerasinghe_2014; Wells_2012]
  • leaf_dry_matter_content (numerical): 0.33 g/g (0.17-0.4 g/g) [sources: Apgaua_2015; Bloomfield_2018; Buckton_2019; Weerasinghe_2014; Wells_2012]
  • leaf_type (categorical): broadleaf (1) [sources: Rumman_2018]
  • leaf_shape (categorical): elliptical (1); lanceolate (1); obovate (1); obtriangular (1) [sources: ABRS_2023]
  • leaf_margin (categorical): toothed_dentate (1) [sources: ABRS_2023]
  • leaf_lobation (categorical): unlobed (1) [sources: Kooyman_2011]
  • leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (2) [sources: ABRS_2023; Kooyman_2011]
  • leaf_phyllotaxis (categorical): whorled (1) [sources: ABRS_2023]
  • plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (1) [sources: ABRS_2023]
life history
  • photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c3 (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2009]
  • plant_growth_form (categorical): tree (11) [sources: ABRS_2022; ATRP_2020; Apgaua_2017; Buckton_2019; Cheesman_2020; Cooper_2013; Kooyman_2011; Metcalfe_2009; Rumman_2018; Wells_2012; Wenk_2022]
  • life_form (categorical): phanerophyte (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2009]
  • life_history (categorical): perennial (3) [sources: ABRS_2022; Metcalfe_2009; Wenk_2023]
  • woodiness_detailed (categorical): woody (2) [sources: ABRS_2022; Wenk_2022]
  • leaf_phenology (categorical): evergreen (1) [sources: Kooyman_2011]
  • nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2009]
  • root_structure (categorical): mycorrhizal (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2009]
  • pollination_syndrome (categorical): butterfly (1); fly (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2009; Wells_2012]
  • dispersal_syndrome (categorical): anemochory (2) [sources: Kew_2019_5; Metcalfe_2009]
  • dispersers (categorical): wind (3) [sources: Metcalfe_2009; Sams_2017; Wells_2012]
  • flowering_time (categorical): ynnnnnnnyyyy (1) [sources: Cooper_2013]
  • seedbank_location (categorical): soil_seedbank (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2009]
  • seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): short_persistent (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2009]
  • clonal_spread_mechanism (categorical): non_clonal (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2009]
nutrient and stable isotope
  • leaf_N_per_dry_mass (numerical): 21.31 mg/g (10.37-27.27 mg/g) [sources: Bloomfield_2018; Buckton_2019; Cheesman_2020; Falster_2005_1; Gray_2019; Kanowski_2000; Weerasinghe_2014]
  • leaf_P_per_dry_mass (numerical): 1.2 mg/g (0.42-1.66 mg/g) [sources: Bloomfield_2018; Gray_2019; Kanowski_2000; Weerasinghe_2014]
  • leaf_delta13C (numerical): -29.01 {delta}[ppth] (-30.08--27.78 {delta}[ppth]) [sources: Apgaua_2015; Apgaua_2017; Buckton_2019; Cheesman_2020; Rumman_2018]
physiology
seed morphology
  • seed_dry_mass (numerical): 2.89 mg (1.53-13.3 mg) [sources: Falster_2005_1; Kew_2019_1; Metcalfe_2009]
  • seed_length (numerical): 4.5 mm (4-5 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Cooper_2013; Kooyman_2011]
  • seed_width (numerical): 1 mm (1-1 mm) [sources: Kooyman_2011]
  • seed_shape (categorical): ovoid_elongated (1) [sources: ABRS_2023]
stem morphology
  • wood_density (numerical): 0.33 mg/mm3 (0.19-0.42 mg/mm3) [sources: Apgaua_2015; Apgaua_2017; Buckton_2019; Falster_2005_1; Ilic_2000; Kooyman_2011; Metcalfe_2009; Wells_2012; Zanne_2009]
  • huber_value (numerical): 0 mm2{sapwood}/mm2{leaf} (0-0 mm2{sapwood}/mm2{leaf}) [sources: Falster_2005_1]
  • stem_vessel_density (numerical): 8.79 {count}/mm2 (5.22-11.44 {count}/mm2) [sources: Apgaua_2015; Apgaua_2017]
  • stem_vessel_diameter (numerical): 104.98 um (85.47-111.84 um) [sources: Apgaua_2015; Apgaua_2017]
  • stem_vessel_lumen_fraction (numerical): 0.08 mm2/mm2 (0.03-0.11 mm2/mm2) [sources: Apgaua_2015; Apgaua_2017]
whole plant morphology

Sources

dataset_idn_traitsn_recordsreference
Bloomfield_201824156K. J. Bloomfield, L. A. Cernusak, D. Eamus, D. S. Ellsworth, I. C. Prentice, I. J. Wright, M. M. Boer, M. G. Bradford, P. Cale, J. Cleverly, J. J. G. Egerton, B. J. Evans, L. S. Hayes, M. F. Hutchinson, M. J. Liddell, C. Macfarlane, W. S. Meyer, S. M. Prober, H. F. Togashi, T. Wardlaw, L. Zhu, and O. K. Atkin. “A continental-scale assessment of variability in leaf traits: Within species, across sites and between seasons”. Functional Ecology 32.6 (2018), pp. 1492-1506. doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.13097.
Buckton_201926131G. Buckton, A. W. Cheesman, N. C. Munksgaard, C. M. Wurster, M. J. Liddell, and L. A. Cernusak. “Functional traits of lianas in an Australian lowland rainforest align with post-disturbance rather than dry season advantage”. Austral Ecology 44.6 (2019), pp. 983-994. doi: 10.1111/aec.12764.
Wells_20122394J. A. Wells. “Phylogeny and inter-relations of ecological traits and seed dispersal in rainforest plants: Exploring aspects of functional diversity in primary and secondary rainforests in Australia's Wet Tropics.”. PhD. University of Queensland, 2012.
Apgaua_20151248D. M. G. Apgaua, F. Y. Ishida, D. Y. P. Tng, M. J. Laidlaw, R. M. Santos, R. Rumman, D. Eamus, J. A. M. Holtum, and S. G. W. Laurance. “Functional traits and water transport strategies in lowland tropical rainforest trees”. PLoS One 10.6 (2015), p. e0130799. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0130799.
Weerasinghe_20141247L. K. Weerasinghe, D. Creek, K. Y. Crous, S. Xiang, M. J. Liddell, M. H. Turnbull, and O. K. Atkin. “Canopy position affects the relationships between leaf respiration and associated traits in a tropical rainforest in Far North Queensland”. Tree Physiology 34.6 (2014), pp. 564-584. doi: 10.1093/treephys/tpu016.
Gray_20191239E. F. Gray, I. J. Wright, D. S. Falster, A. S. D. Eller, C. E. R. Lehmann, M. G. Bradford, and L. A. Cernusak. “Leaf:wood allometry and functional traits together explain substantial growth rate variation in rainforest trees”. AoB PLANTS 11.3 (2019), pp. 1-11. doi: 10.1093/aobpla/plz024.
eFLOWER_Dun_20223236L. Dun and H. Sauquet. “Unpublished: Floral traits for GAP taxa, University of New South Wales, Australia”. 2022.
Kanowski_20002424J. Kanowski. “Ecological determinants of the distribution and abundance of the folivorous marsupials endemic to the rainforests of the Atherton uplands, north Queensland.”. PhD. James Cook University, Townsville, 1999.
Metcalfe_20092121E. Laliberte, J. A. Wells, F. DeClerck, D. J. Metcalfe, C. P. Catterall, C. Queiroz, I. Aubin, S. P. Bonser, Y. Ding, J. M. Fraterrigo, S. McNamara, J. W. Morgan, D. S. Merlos, P. A. Vesk, and M. M. Mayfield. “Land-use intensification reduces functional redundancy and response diversity in plant communities”. Ecology Letters 13.1 (2010), pp. 76-86. doi: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01403.x.
ABRS_20231419Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
Cheesman_20201219A. W. Cheesman, H. Duff, K. Hill, L. A. Cernusak, and F. A. McInerney. “Isotopic and morphologic proxies for reconstructing light environment and leaf function of fossil leaves: A modern calibration in the Daintree Rainforest, Australia”. American Journal of Botany 107 (2020), pp. 1165-1176. doi: 10.1002/ajb2.1523.
Cooper_20131013W. Cooper and W. T. Cooper. Australian rainforest fruits. CSIRO Publishing, 2013, p. 272.
Kooyman_2011913R. Kooyman, M. Rossetto, W. Cornwell, and M. Westoby. “Phylogenetic tests of community assembly across regional to continental scales in tropical and subtropical rain forests”. Global Ecology and Biogeography 20 (2011), pp. 707-716. doi: 10.1111/j.1466-8238.2010.00641.x.
Apgaua_20171112D. M. G. Apgaua, D. Y. P. Tng, L. A. Cernusak, A. W. Cheesman, R. M. Santos, W. J. Edwards, and S. G. W. Laurance. “Plant functional groups within a tropical forest exhibit different wood functional anatomy”. Functional Ecology 31.3 (2017), pp. 582-591. doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.12787.
Falster_2005_179D. S. Falster and M. Westoby. “Alternative height strategies among 45 dicot rain forest species from tropical Queensland, Australia”. Journal of Ecology 93 (2005), pp. 521-535. doi: 10.1111/j.0022-0477.2005.00992.x.
Sams_201766M. A. Sams, H. R. Lai, S. P. Bonser, P. A. Vesk, R. M. Kooyman, D. J. Metcalfe, J. W. Morgan, and M. M. Mayfield. “Landscape context explains changes in the functional diversity of regenerating forests better than climate or species richness”. Global Ecology and Biogeography 26.10 (2017), pp. 1165-1176. doi: 10.1111/geb.12627.
Gross_200544C. L. Gross. “A comparison of the sexual systems in the trees from the Australian tropics with other tropical biomes-more monoecy but why?”. American Journal of Botany 92.6 (2005), pp. 907-919. doi: 10.3732/ajb.92.6.907.
Kew_2019_114Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
Rumman_201844R. Rumman, O. K. Atkin, K. J. Bloomfield, and D. Eamus. “Variation in bulk-leaf 13C discrimination, leaf traits and wateruse efficiency-trait relationships along a continental-scale climate gradient in Australia”. Global Change Biology 24 (2018), pp. 1186-1200. doi: 10.1111/gcb.13911.
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.
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.
Wenk_202222E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant growth forms dataset”. 2022.
ATRP_202011F. A. Zich, B. P. Hyland, T. Whiffin, and R. A. Kerrigan. Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants, Edition 8. 2020. url: https://apps.lucidcentral.org/rainforest/text/intro/index.html.
Kew_2019_511Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed dispersal data from the Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
Wenk_202311E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant life history dataset, University of New South Wales, Sydney”. 2023.
Wright_200011I. J. Wright, H. T. Clifford, R. Kidson, M. L. Reed, B. L. Rice, and M. Westoby. “A survey of seed and seedling characters in 1744 Australian dicotyledon species: Cross-species trait correlations and correlated trait-shifts within evolutionary lineages”. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 69 (2000), pp. 521-547. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2000.tb01222.x.
Zanne_200911A. E. Zanne, G. Lopez-Gonzalez, D. A. Coomes, J. Ilic, S. Jansen, S. L. Lewis, R. B. Miller, N. G. Swenson, M. C. Wiemann, and J. Chave. “Data from: Towards a worldwide wood economics spectrum”. Dryad Digital Repository (2009). doi: 10.5061/dryad.234.