Avicennia marina

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Family Acanthaceae

Taxonomy: Avicennia marina (Forssk.) Vierh.

Synonyms: 5 (APC 2026-07-30)

Avicennia balanophora Moldenke (taxonomic synonym)
Avicennia marina var. anomala Moldenke (taxonomic synonym)
Avicennia marina var. typica Bakh. (taxonomic synonym)
Avicennia maritima Naurois & Roux (taxonomic synonym)
Sceura marina Forssk. (taxonomic synonym)

Misapplied names: 1 (APC 2026-07-30)

Avicennia officinalis L. (misapplied)

Distribution (APC): WA, NT, SA, Qld, NSW, LHI, 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 (21), Brock_1993 (10), Bryant_2021_3 (121), Cooper_2013 (13), Draper_2023 (3), Hughes_1992 (3), Ilic_2000 (1), Kew_2019_1 (1), Kew_2019_3 (4), Kew_2019_5 (1), Kooyman_2011 (13), MacinnisNg_2004 (44), McGlone_2015 (6), NHNSW_2014_2 (11), NHNSW_2024 (13), NTH_2022 (4), NTH_2023 (5), Pickup_2021 (3), SAH_2022 (3), SAH_2023 (17), Santini_2012 (18), Santini_2013 (128), Schmidt_2003 (8), Sjostrom_2006 (4), Stuart_2007 (2), WAH_1998 (1), WAH_2022_2 (3), WAH_2023_2 (2), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), White_2020 (17), Wright_2000 (4), Zanne_2009 (1), eFLOWER_Dun_2022 (38). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 110 traits from 529 records in 35 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): partial_resprouting (1) [sources: Pickup_2021]
post_fire_recruitment (categorical): post_fire_recruitment (1) [sources: Pickup_2021]

flower morphology

flower_colour (categorical): white_cream (1); yellow_orange (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2; eFLOWER_Dun_2022]
flower_diameter (numerical): 0.47 cm (0.25-0.68 cm) [sources: eFLOWER_Dun_2022]
sex_type (categorical): hermaphrodite (1) [sources: Sjostrom_2006]

fruit morphology

fruit_length (numerical): 25.83 mm (14-40 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Cooper_2013; SAH_2023]
fruit_width (numerical): 17.88 mm (7-30 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Cooper_2013; NHNSW_2024; SAH_2023]
fruit_height (numerical): 7 mm (4-10 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023]
fruit_type (categorical): capsule (7) [sources: ABRS_2023; Cooper_2013; NHNSW_2024; NTH_2023; SAH_2023; Sjostrom_2006; Wright_2000]
fruit_fleshiness (categorical): dry (3) [sources: Cooper_2013; Sjostrom_2006; Wright_2000]
fruit_dehiscence (categorical): dehiscent (5) [sources: ABRS_2023; Cooper_2013; SAH_2023; Sjostrom_2006; Wright_2000]
fruit_colour (categorical): grey (1) [sources: SAH_2023]

leaf morphology

leaf_length (numerical): 78.71 mm (30-164 mm) [sources: McGlone_2015; ABRS_2023; Brock_1993; Kooyman_2011; NHNSW_2014_2; NHNSW_2024; SAH_2023]
leaf_width (numerical): 29.29 mm (10-49 mm) [sources: McGlone_2015; ABRS_2023; Brock_1993; Kooyman_2011; NHNSW_2014_2; NHNSW_2024; SAH_2023]
petiole_length (numerical): 1.3 cm (0.3-2.3 cm) [sources: ABRS_2023]
leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 137.67 g/m2 (111.4-159.2 g/m2) [sources: Bryant_2021_3]
leaf_dry_matter_content (numerical): 0.04 g/g (0.04-0.04 g/g) [sources: Schmidt_2003]
leaf_water_content_per_dry_mass (numerical): 1.97 g/g (1.29-2.75 g/g) [sources: Bryant_2021_3]
leaf_type (categorical): broadleaf (1) [sources: NHNSW_2024]
leaf_shape (categorical): elliptical (2); lanceolate (2); narrowly_lanceolate (1); narrowly_obovate (1); obovate (1); ovate (4) [sources: ABRS_2023; Brock_1993; NHNSW_2024; NTH_2023; SAH_2023]
leaf_base_shape (categorical): attenuate (1); cuneate (1) [sources: NHNSW_2024; NTH_2023]
leaf_margin (categorical): entire (3) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2014_2; NHNSW_2024]
leaf_lobation (categorical): unlobed (1) [sources: Kooyman_2011]
leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (6) [sources: ABRS_2023; Brock_1993; Kooyman_2011; McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2014_2; SAH_2023]
leaf_phyllotaxis (categorical): opposite (2) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2014_2]
leaf_arrangement (categorical): decussate (1) [sources: ABRS_2023]
plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (4) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2024; NTH_2023; SAH_2023]

life history

photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c3 (2) [sources: Kew_2019_3; White_2020]
plant_growth_form (categorical): shrub (8); tree (12) [sources: ABRS_2022; Brock_1993; Bryant_2021_3; Cooper_2013; Hughes_1992; Kooyman_2011; McGlone_2015; NTH_2022; Pickup_2021; SAH_2022; Schmidt_2003; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022; White_2020]
life_history (categorical): perennial (7) [sources: ABRS_2022; Brock_1993; NTH_2022; SAH_2022; Schmidt_2003; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2023]
woodiness_detailed (categorical): woody (5) [sources: ABRS_2022; NTH_2022; SAH_2022; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022]
stem_growth_habit (categorical): erect (1); spreading (1) [sources: NTH_2022]
leaf_phenology (categorical): evergreen (2) [sources: Kooyman_2011; NHNSW_2014_2]
nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (2) [sources: Schmidt_2003; White_2020]
parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (1) [sources: White_2020]
pollination_syndrome (categorical): insect (2) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
dispersal_syndrome (categorical): hydrochory (3) [sources: Draper_2023; Kew_2019_5; White_2020]
dispersers (categorical): water (2) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
flowering_time (categorical): nnnnnnnnnnnn (1); nnyyyyyynnnn (1); nyyynnnnnnnn (1); ynnnnnnnnyyy (1); yyynnnnnnnyy (1); yyynnnnnnyyy (1) [sources: Brock_1993; Cooper_2013; Hughes_1992; NHNSW_2014_2; WAH_1998; White_2020]
seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): transient (1) [sources: White_2020]
vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): not_vegetative (1) [sources: White_2020]

nutrient and stable isotope

leaf_N_per_dry_mass (numerical): 21 mg/g (21-21 mg/g) [sources: Schmidt_2003]
leaf_delta13C (numerical): -27.92 {delta}[ppth] (-27.92--27.92 {delta}[ppth]) [sources: Schmidt_2003]

seed morphology

seed_dry_mass (numerical): 3400 mg (3400-3400 mg) [sources: Kew_2019_1]
seed_length (numerical): 23 mm (18-28 mm) [sources: Cooper_2013; Kooyman_2011]
seed_width (numerical): 15 mm (12-18 mm) [sources: Kooyman_2011]
seed_shape (categorical): discoid (1) [sources: SAH_2023]

stem morphology

wood_density (numerical): 0.66 mg/mm3 (0.51-0.82 mg/mm3) [sources: Ilic_2000; Santini_2012; Santini_2013; Zanne_2009]
huber_value (numerical): 0 mm2{sapwood}/mm2{leaf} (0-0 mm2{sapwood}/mm2{leaf}) [sources: MacinnisNg_2004]
stem_vessel_density (numerical): 43.01 {count}/mm2 (36.45-49.64 {count}/mm2) [sources: Santini_2012]
stem_vessel_diameter (numerical): 32.4 um (19.1-55.27 um) [sources: Santini_2012; Santini_2013; Stuart_2007]

whole plant morphology

plant_height (numerical): 11.16 m (1.5-30 m) [sources: ABRS_2023; Brock_1993; Cooper_2013; Hughes_1992; Kooyman_2011; McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2014_2; NHNSW_2024; NTH_2023; SAH_2023; WAH_2023_2]
plant_physical_defence_structures (categorical): absent (1) [sources: White_2020]

Sources

dataset_id	n_traits	n_records	reference
Santini_2013	4	128	N. S. Santini, N. Schmitz, V. Bennion, and C. E. Lovelock. “The anatomical basis of the link between density and mechanical strength in mangrove branches”. Functional Plant Biology 40.4 (2013), pp. 400-408. doi: 10.1071/fp12204.
Bryant_2021_3	7	121	C. Bryant, R. J. Harris, N. Brothers, C. Bone, N. Walsh, A. B. Nicotra, and M. C. Ball. “Cross-tolerance: Salinity gradients and dehydration increase photosynthetic heat tolerance in mangrove leaves”. Functional Ecology (2024). ISSN: 1365-2435. doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.14508.
MacinnisNg_2004	8	44	C. Macinnis-Ng, K. McClenahan, and D. Eamus. “Convergence in hydraulic architecture, water relations and primary productivity amongst habitats and across seasons in Sydney”. Functional Plant Biology 31.5 (2004), pp. 429-439. doi: 10.1071/fp03194.
eFLOWER_Dun_2022	31	38	L. Dun and H. Sauquet. “Unpublished: Floral traits for GAP taxa, University of New South Wales, Australia”. 2022.
ABRS_2023	15	21	Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
Santini_2012	3	18	N. S. Santini, N. Schmitz, and C. E. Lovelock. “Variation in wood density and anatomy in a widespread mangrove species”. Trees 26.5 (2012), pp. 1555-1563. doi: 10.1007/s00468-012-0729-0.
SAH_2023	12	17	S. 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/.
White_2020	17	17	M. White, S. Sinclair, and D. Frood. Victorian Vital Attributes Database. database. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, 2020.
Cooper_2013	10	13	W. Cooper and W. T. Cooper. Australian rainforest fruits. CSIRO Publishing, 2013, p. 272.
Kooyman_2011	10	13	R. 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.
NHNSW_2024	10	13	N. H. of New South Wales. The Plant Information Network System of The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust Version 2.0.. accessed on December, 2023.. 2024. url: https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/.
NHNSW_2014_2	9	11	Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. PLantNET: NSW flora online. 2014. url: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/.
Brock_1993	8	10	J. Brock and A. Dunlop. Native plants of northern Australia. Reed New Holland, 1993. ISBN: 9781877069246.
Schmidt_2003	8	8	S. 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.
McGlone_2015	6	6	M. S. McGlone, S. J. Richardson, G. J. Jordan, and G. L. Perry. “Is there a `suboptimal' woody species height? A response to Scheffer et al.”. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 30.1 (2015), pp. 4-5. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2014.09.007.
NTH_2023	5	5	D. 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/.
Kew_2019_3	4	4	Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Salt and water tolerance data from the Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
NTH_2022	4	4	D. 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/.
Sjostrom_2006	4	4	A. 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.
Wright_2000	4	4	I. 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.
ABRS_2022	3	3	Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
Draper_2023	3	3	J. 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.
Hughes_1992	3	3	L. Hughes and B. Rice. “Unpublished data: Traits data for 643 species, Macquarie University”. 1992.
Pickup_2021	3	3	M. Pickup and T. McDonald. Bushfire impacts — A national model for assessing local landscape restoration priorities. Project Phoenix Report. Greening Australia, 2021. url: https://www.greeningaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/1.02R2.pdf.
SAH_2022	3	3	S. 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/.
WAH_2022_2	3	3	Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
Stuart_2007	2	2	S. A. Stuart, B. Choat, K. C. Martin, N. M. Holbrook, and M. C. Ball. “The role of freezing in setting the latitudinal limits of mangrove forests”. New Phytologist 173 (2007), pp. 576-583. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2006.01938.x.
WAH_2023_2	1	2	Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
Wenk_2022	2	2	E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant growth forms dataset”. 2022.
Ilic_2000	1	1	J. 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_1	1	1	Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
Kew_2019_5	1	1	Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed dispersal data from the Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
WAH_1998	1	1	Western Australian Herbarium. FloraBase: The Western Australian flora. 1998. url: http://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au.
Wenk_2023	1	1	E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant life history dataset, University of New South Wales, Sydney”. 2023.
Zanne_2009	1	1	A. 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.