AusTraits

Aristida contorta

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Poaceae

Taxonomy: Aristida contorta F.Muell.

Synonyms: 6 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Aristida arenaria Gaudich. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Aristida arenaria var. brevistipitata Henrard (taxonomic synonym)
  • Aristida arenaria var. hirsuta Henrard (taxonomic synonym)
  • Aristida contorta F.Muell. var. contorta (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Aristida contorta var. hirsuta (Henrard) H.Eichler (taxonomic synonym)
  • Arthratherum arenarium (Gaudich.) Nees (taxonomic synonym)

Distribution (APC): WA, NT, SA, Qld, NSW, Vic

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

Traits

Top source datasets: ABRS_2022 (3), ABRS_2023 (8), Crowley_2007 (2), Draper_2023 (2), Dwyer_2017 (9), GrassBase_2014 (6), Jurado_1991 (5), Jurado_1992 (3), Kew_2019_1 (2), Kew_2019_5 (1), Kew_2019_6 (2), Leishman_1992 (7), Metcalfe_2020_2 (18), Munroe_2019 (1), NHNSW_2014_2 (1), NHNSW_2022 (4), NHNSW_2023 (6), Nano_2011 (2), Osborne_2014 (1), RBGV_2022 (4), RBGV_2023 (8), SAH_2022 (3), SAH_2023 (6), Simpson_2021 (2), Sjostrom_2006 (4), Soliveres_2012 (3), Tsakalos_2020 (18), Tsakalos_2022 (3), Vesk_2004 (16), WAH_2022_2 (3), WAH_2023_2 (3), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), White_2020 (19). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 52 traits from 178 records in 34 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 (2); partial_resprouting (1); resprouts (2) [sources: Crowley_2007; Nano_2011; Tsakalos_2020; White_2020]
flower morphology
  • sex_type (categorical): hermaphrodite (2) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2; Sjostrom_2006]
fruit morphology
  • fruit_length (numerical): 3.75 mm (3-4.5 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Metcalfe_2020_2]
  • fruit_type (categorical): caryopsis (7) [sources: ABRS_2023; Metcalfe_2020_2; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Sjostrom_2006; WAH_2023_2]
  • fruit_fleshiness (categorical): dry (3) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2; Sjostrom_2006; Tsakalos_2020]
  • fruit_dehiscence (categorical): dehiscent (1); indehiscent (2) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2; Sjostrom_2006]
leaf morphology
  • leaf_area (numerical): 30.54 mm2 (20-39 mm2) [sources: Jurado_1991; Leishman_1992; Metcalfe_2020_2; Vesk_2004]
  • leaf_length (numerical): 81.25 mm (30-100 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; GrassBase_2014; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023]
  • leaf_width (numerical): 0.83 mm (0.5-1 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; GrassBase_2014; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 95.73 g/m2 (91.89-118.2 g/m2) [sources: Dwyer_2017; Vesk_2004]
  • leaf_dry_matter_content (numerical): 0.36 g/g (0.33-0.39 g/g) [sources: Vesk_2004]
  • leaf_shape (categorical): filiform (2) [sources: NHNSW_2023; SAH_2023]
  • leaf_margin (categorical): entire (1) [sources: Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (3) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2; NHNSW_2014_2; Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_lamina_posture (categorical): conduplicate (2); convolute (1); involute (2); undulate (1) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_glaucousness (categorical): not_glaucous (2) [sources: Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_hairs_adult_leaves (categorical): glabrous (1) [sources: Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_phyllotaxis (categorical): alternate (3) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_arrangement (categorical): crowded (1) [sources: RBGV_2023]
  • plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (5) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Tsakalos_2020]
life history
  • photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c4 (5) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2; Munroe_2019; Osborne_2014; Tsakalos_2020; White_2020]
  • plant_growth_form (categorical): graminoid (9); herb (5); tussock (3) [sources: ABRS_2022; Jurado_1991; Leishman_1992; Metcalfe_2020_2; NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; Soliveres_2012; Vesk_2004; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022; White_2020]
  • life_form (categorical): hemicryptophyte (1); therophyte (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2]
  • life_history (categorical): annual (5); biennial (1); ephemeral (3); perennial (5); short_lived_perennial (3) [sources: ABRS_2022; Leishman_1992; NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; Simpson_2021; Tsakalos_2020; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2023]
  • woodiness_detailed (categorical): herbaceous (7) [sources: ABRS_2022; NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; Tsakalos_2020; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022]
  • stem_growth_habit (categorical): compact (1); erect (2); tufted (1) [sources: NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; Tsakalos_2020]
  • nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • root_structure (categorical): arbuscular_mycorrhizal (2) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2; Tsakalos_2020]
  • parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (2) [sources: Tsakalos_2020; White_2020]
  • pollination_syndrome (categorical): abiotic (1); self (1); wind (2) [sources: Draper_2023; Metcalfe_2020_2; White_2020]
  • dispersal_syndrome (categorical): epizoochory (4); zoochory (2) [sources: Draper_2023; Jurado_1991; Kew_2019_5; Metcalfe_2020_2; Soliveres_2012; White_2020]
  • dispersers (categorical): mammals (1); vertebrates (1) [sources: Soliveres_2012; White_2020]
  • flowering_time (categorical): nnnnnnnyyyyy (1); yyyyyyynnnyy (1) [sources: Tsakalos_2020; White_2020]
  • seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): persistent (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): not_vegetative (2); vegetative (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2; Tsakalos_2022; White_2020]
  • clonal_spread_mechanism (categorical): rhizome (1) [sources: Tsakalos_2022]
  • storage_organ (categorical): no_storage_organ (1) [sources: Leishman_1992]
  • bud_bank_location (categorical): basal_stem_buds (2); rhizome_non_woody (1); root_crown (1) [sources: Crowley_2007; Nano_2011; Simpson_2021; Tsakalos_2022]
seed morphology
  • seed_dry_mass (numerical): 1.48 mg (0.39-2.93 mg) [sources: Dwyer_2017; Kew_2019_1; Leishman_1992; Metcalfe_2020_2]
  • seed_length (numerical): 3.75 mm (3-4.5 mm) [sources: GrassBase_2014]
whole plant morphology
  • plant_height (numerical): 0.36 m (0.12-0.5 m) [sources: Leishman_1992; Metcalfe_2020_2; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; WAH_2023_2]
  • plant_physical_defence_structures (categorical): absent (2) [sources: Tsakalos_2020; White_2020]

Sources

dataset_idn_traitsn_recordsreference
White_20201919M. White, S. Sinclair, and D. Frood. Victorian Vital Attributes Database. database. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, 2020.
Metcalfe_2020_21718D. Metcalfe. “Unpublished data: Traits of Poaceae spp, CSIRO”. 2020.
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.
Vesk_2004416P. A. Vesk, M. R. Leishman, and M. Westoby. “Simple traits do not predict grazing response in Australian dry shrublands and woodlands”. Journal of Applied Ecology 41.1 (2004), pp. 22-31. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2004.00857.x.
Dwyer_201739J. M. Dwyer and D. C. Laughlin. “Constraints on trait combinations explain climatic drivers of biodiversity: The importance of trait covariance in community assembly”. Ecology Letters 20.7 (2017), pp. 872-882. doi: 10.1111/ele.12781.
ABRS_202378Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
RBGV_202388VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2023. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
Leishman_199277M. R. Leishman and M. Westoby. “Classifying plants into groups on the basis of associations of individual traits-Evidence from Australian semi-arid woodlands”. Journal of Ecology 80 (1992), pp. 417-424. doi: 10.2307/2260687.
GrassBase_201436W. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, and K. H. &. H. Williamson. GrassBase - The online world grass flora. 2006. url: http://www.kew.org/data/grasses-db.html.
NHNSW_202366N. H. of New South Wales. The Plant Information Network System of The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust Version 2.0.. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2023. url: https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/.
SAH_202366S. H. of South Australia. eFlora of SA, Electronic Flora of South Australia. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2022. url: http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/.
Jurado_199155E. Jurado. “Diaspore weight, dispersal, growth form and perenniality of central Australian plants”. Journal of Ecology 79 (1991), pp. 811-828.
NHNSW_202244N. H. of New South Wales. The Plant Information Network System of The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust Version 2.0.. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2022. url: https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/.
RBGV_202244VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2022. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
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.
Jurado_199213E. Jurado and M. Westoby. “Germination biology of selected central Australian plants”. Austral Ecology 17.3 (1992), pp. 341-348. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-9993.1992.tb00816.x.
SAH_202233S. H. of South Australia. eFlora of SA, Electronic Flora of South Australia. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2022. url: http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/.
Soliveres_201233S. Soliveres, D. J. Eldridge, F. Hemmings, and F. T. Maestre. “Nurse plant effects on plant species richness in drylands: The role of grazing, rainfall and species specificity”. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 14 (2012), pp. 402-410. doi: 10.1016/j.ppees.2012.09.003.
Tsakalos_202233J. 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_2022_233Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
WAH_2023_223Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. 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).
Draper_202322J. T. Draper, S. Delean, J. G. Conran, P. Weinstein, and B. S. Simpson. “Life-history characteristics and climate correlates of dioecious plant species in central southern Australia”. Australian Journal of Botany unknown.unknown (2023), p. unknown. doi: 10.1071/BT22110.
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/.
Nano_201122C. 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.
Simpson_202122K. J. Simpson, E. C. Jardine, S. Archibald, E. J. Forrestel, C. E. R. Lehmann, G. H. Thomas, and C. P. Osborne. “Resprouting grasses are associated with less frequent fire than seeders”. New Phytologist 230 (2021), pp. 832-844. doi: 10.1111/nph.17069.
Wenk_202222E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant growth forms dataset”. 2022.
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/.
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.
NHNSW_2014_211Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. PLantNET: NSW flora online. 2014. url: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/.
Osborne_201411C. Osborne, A. Salomaa, T. Kluyver, V. Visser, E. Kellogg, O. Morrone, M. Vorontsova, W. Clayton, and D. Simpson. “A global database of C4 photosynthesis in grasses”. New Phytologist 204 (2014), pp. 441-446. doi: 10.1111/nph.12942.
Wenk_202311E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant life history dataset, University of New South Wales, Sydney”. 2023.