AusTraits

Brachychiton populneus

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Malvaceae

Taxonomy: Brachychiton populneus (Schott & Endl.) R.Br.

Synonyms: 5 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Brachychiton populneum R.Br. (orthographic variant)
  • Pacilodermis populnea G.Goeze (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Poecilodermis populnea Schott & Endl. (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Sterculia heterophylla F.Muell. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Sterculia heterophylla G.Don (taxonomic synonym)

Distribution (APC): WA (naturalised), NT (doubtfully naturalised), SA (naturalised), Qld, NSW, ACT (native and naturalised), Vic (native and naturalised)

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

Traits

Top source datasets: ANBG_2019 (1), Burrows_2001 (20), Carey_2003 (3), Cheal_2017 (5), Clarke_2015 (2), Cooper_2013 (12), Doherty_2021 (2), Draper_2023 (3), Fonseca_2000 (17), Grootemaat_2015 (216), Grootemaat_2017_2 (66), Hughes_1992 (4), Ilic_2000 (1), Kew_2019_1 (4), Kew_2019_2 (1), Kew_2019_4 (2), Kooyman_2011 (13), McGlone_2015 (6), Munroe_2019 (1), NHNSW_2014_2 (4), NHNSW_2022 (4), NHNSW_2023 (14), Onoda_2010 (34), Reynolds_2018 (175), Sjostrom_2006 (4), WAH_2022_1 (3), WAH_2022_2 (3), WAH_2023_2 (2), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), Westoby_2003 (4), Westoby_2014 (36), White_2020 (20), Wright_2000 (9), Wright_2001 (4), Wright_2002 (131), Yang_2023 (2), Zanne_2007 (18). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 139 traits from 849 records in 38 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); resprouts (6) [sources: Carey_2003; Cheal_2017; Clarke_2015; Doherty_2021; White_2020; Yang_2023]
  • post_fire_recruitment (categorical): post_fire_recruitment (1); post_fire_recruitment_absent (2) [sources: Carey_2003; Clarke_2015]
flower morphology
  • flower_colour (categorical): white_cream (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2]
  • sex_type (categorical): monoecious (2) [sources: NHNSW_2022; Sjostrom_2006]
fruit morphology
  • fruit_length (numerical): 37.5 mm (20-70 mm) [sources: Cooper_2013; NHNSW_2023]
  • fruit_type (categorical): capsule (1); follicle (3) [sources: Cooper_2013; NHNSW_2023; Sjostrom_2006; Wright_2000]
  • fruit_fleshiness (categorical): dry (3) [sources: Cooper_2013; Sjostrom_2006; Wright_2000]
  • fruit_dehiscence (categorical): dehiscent (3) [sources: Cooper_2013; Sjostrom_2006; Wright_2000]
leaf morphology
  • leaf_area (numerical): 1304.69 mm2 (562-2276.1 mm2) [sources: Burrows_2001; Fonseca_2000; Grootemaat_2015; Westoby_2003; Westoby_2014; Wright_2002]
  • leaf_length (numerical): 86.2 mm (50-120 mm) [sources: Grootemaat_2015; McGlone_2015; Kooyman_2011; NHNSW_2023]
  • leaf_width (numerical): 30.93 mm (8-65 mm) [sources: Fonseca_2000; Grootemaat_2015; McGlone_2015; Kooyman_2011]
  • leaf_dry_mass (numerical): 146.86 mg (60-263 mg) [sources: Burrows_2001; Fonseca_2000; Grootemaat_2015]
  • petiole_length (numerical): 7.5 cm (5-10 cm) [sources: NHNSW_2023]
  • leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 113.07 g/m2 (49.9-188.3 g/m2) [sources: Burrows_2001; Fonseca_2000; Grootemaat_2015; Reynolds_2018; Westoby_2003; Westoby_2014; Wright_2002; Zanne_2007]
  • leaf_area_ratio (numerical): 0.81 mm2/mg (0.43-1.46 mm2/mg) [sources: Reynolds_2018]
  • leaf_dry_matter_content (numerical): 0.35 g/g (0.3-0.4 g/g) [sources: Reynolds_2018]
  • leaf_water_content_per_dry_mass (numerical): 1.21 g/g (1.21-1.21 g/g) [sources: Grootemaat_2015]
  • leaf_shape (categorical): lanceolate (2); ovate (2) [sources: Burrows_2001; NHNSW_2023]
  • leaf_margin (categorical): entire (1) [sources: NHNSW_2023]
  • leaf_lobation (categorical): lobed (2); unlobed (1) [sources: Kooyman_2011; NHNSW_2023]
  • leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (3) [sources: Kooyman_2011; McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2014_2]
  • leaf_phyllotaxis (categorical): alternate (1) [sources: NHNSW_2023]
  • plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (1) [sources: NHNSW_2023]
life history
  • photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c3 (2) [sources: Munroe_2019; White_2020]
  • plant_growth_form (categorical): tree (10) [sources: Cooper_2013; Fonseca_2000; Hughes_1992; Kooyman_2011; McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2022; WAH_2022_1; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022; White_2020]
  • life_history (categorical): perennial (5) [sources: Cheal_2017; NHNSW_2022; WAH_2022_1; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2023]
  • woodiness_detailed (categorical): woody (4) [sources: NHNSW_2022; WAH_2022_1; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022]
  • leaf_phenology (categorical): evergreen (2) [sources: Kooyman_2011; NHNSW_2014_2]
  • nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • pollination_syndrome (categorical): bird (1); insect (2) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
  • dispersal_syndrome (categorical): endozoochory (1); epizoochory (1) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
  • dispersers (categorical): birds (1); vertebrates (1) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
  • flowering_time (categorical): nnnnnnnnnyyy (1); ynnnnnnnnnyy (1); ynnnnnnnnyyy (1) [sources: Cooper_2013; Hughes_1992; White_2020]
  • serotiny (categorical): not_serotinous (1) [sources: Hughes_1992]
  • seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): transient (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): not_vegetative (2) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2; White_2020]
  • bud_bank_location (categorical): basal_buds (2); bud-bearing_root (1); epicormic_buds (1); none (1) [sources: Carey_2003; Doherty_2021; Yang_2023]
nutrient and stable isotope
  • leaf_N_per_dry_mass (numerical): 18.72 mg/g (15.5-22.48 mg/g) [sources: Grootemaat_2015; Grootemaat_2017_2; Westoby_2014; Wright_2002]
  • leaf_P_per_dry_mass (numerical): 0.96 mg/g (0.83-1.13 mg/g) [sources: Grootemaat_2015; Grootemaat_2017_2; Westoby_2014; Wright_2002]
  • leaf_delta13C (numerical): -25.04 {delta}[ppth] (-26.71--24.13 {delta}[ppth]) [sources: Westoby_2014; Wright_2002]
seed morphology
  • seed_dry_mass (numerical): 109.28 mg (58.6-190 mg) [sources: ANBG_2019; Kew_2019_1; Reynolds_2018; Wright_2001]
  • seed_length (numerical): 6.5 mm (5-7 mm) [sources: Cooper_2013; Kooyman_2011]
  • seed_width (numerical): 4.5 mm (4-5 mm) [sources: Kooyman_2011]
stem morphology
  • wood_density (numerical): 0.5 mg/mm3 (0.39-0.75 mg/mm3) [sources: Ilic_2000; Onoda_2010; Westoby_2014; Zanne_2007]
  • huber_value (numerical): 0.02 mm2{sapwood}/mm2{leaf} (0-0.09 mm2{sapwood}/mm2{leaf}) [sources: Reynolds_2018; Westoby_2014; Zanne_2007]
whole plant morphology

Sources

dataset_idn_traitsn_recordsreference
Grootemaat_201519216S. Grootemaat, I. J. Wright, P. M. Bodegom, J. H. C. Cornelissen, and W. K. Cornwell. “Burn or rot: leaf traits explain why flammability and decomposability are decoupled across species”. Functional Ecology 29.11 (2015), pp. 1486-1497. doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.12449.
Reynolds_201810175V. A. Reynolds, L. D. L. Anderegg, X. Loy, J. HilleRisLambers, and M. M. Mayfield. “Unexpected drought resistance strategies in seedlings of four Brachychiton species”. Tree Physiology 38.5 (2017), pp. 664-677. doi: 10.1093/treephys/tpx143.
Wright_200234131I. J. Wright and M. Westoby. “Leaves at low versus high rainfall: Coordination of structure, lifespan and physiology”. New Phytologist 155 (2002), pp. 403-416. doi: 10.1046/j.1469-8137.2002.00479.x.
Grootemaat_2017_21066S. Grootemaat, I. J. Wright, P. M. van Bodegom, and J. H. C. Cornelissen. “Scaling up flammability from individual leaves to fuel beds”. Oikos 126.10 (2017), pp. 1428-1438. doi: 10.1111/oik.03886.
Westoby_20142836S. M. Gleason, D. W. Butler, K. Zieminska, P. Waryszak, and M. Westoby. “Stem xylem conductivity is key to plant water balance across Australian angiosperm species”. Functional Ecology 26 (2012), pp. 343-352. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2012.01962.x.
Onoda_2010734Y. Onoda, A. E. Richards, and M. Westoby. “The relationship between stem biomechanics and wood density is modified by rainfall in 32 Australian woody plant species”. New Phytologist 185.2 (2009), pp. 493-501. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.03088.x.
Burrows_2001520G. E. Burrows. “Comparative anatomy of the photosynthetic organs of 39 xeromorphic species from subhumid New South Wales, Australia”. International Journal of Plant Sciences 162 (2001), pp. 411-430. doi: 10.1086/319579.
White_20202020M. White, S. Sinclair, and D. Frood. Victorian Vital Attributes Database. database. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, 2020.
Zanne_2007618A. Zanne. “Unpublished data: Hydraulic traits for NSW plant species from four field sites, Macquarie University”. 2007.
Fonseca_2000517C. R. Fonseca, J. M. Overton, B. Collins, and M. Westoby. “Shifts in trait-combinations along rainfall and phosphorus gradients”. Journal of Ecology 88 (2000), pp. 964-977. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2745.2000.00506.x.
NHNSW_20231114N. 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/.
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.
Cooper_20131012W. Cooper and W. T. Cooper. Australian rainforest fruits. CSIRO Publishing, 2013, p. 272.
Wright_200099I. 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.
McGlone_201566M. 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.
Cheal_201755D. Cheal. Growth stages and tolerable fire intervals for Victoria's native vegetation data sets. Fire and adaptive management, report no. 84. Victorian Government Department of Sustainability and Environment Melbourne, 2010.
Hughes_199244L. Hughes and B. Rice. “Unpublished data: Traits data for 643 species, Macquarie University”. 1992.
Kew_2019_114Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
NHNSW_2014_244Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. PLantNET: NSW flora online. 2014. url: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/.
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/.
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.
Westoby_200344M. Westoby and I. J. Wright. “The leaf size - twig size spectrum and its relationship to other important spectra of variation among species”. Oecologia 135 (2003), pp. 621-628. doi: 10.1007/s00442-003-1231-6.
Wright_200124I. J. Wright. “Unpublished data: Seed mass reserve data for various species in NSW, Macquarie University”. 2001.
Carey_200333A. C. &. M. E. &. P. H. &. M. L. &. T. M. &. P. O. &. S. S. &. D. S. &. N. Webb. Wildfires in the ACT 2003: Report on Initial Impacts on Natural Ecosystems. Technical Report No. 17. Environment ACT, 2003. url: https://www.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/2539593/17-wildfires-in-the-act-report-on-initial-impacts-on-natural-ecosystems-2003.pdf.
Draper_202333J. 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.
WAH_2022_133Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
WAH_2022_233Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
Clarke_201522P. 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.
Doherty_202122M. Doherty. “Fire Severity and Plant Community Dynamics in the Australian Alps, Southeastern New South Wales”. PhD. Australian National University, 2021. url: http://hdl.handle.net/1885/224564.
Kew_2019_412Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Oil content data from 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.
Yang_202322S. Yang. “Unpublished data: Fire response traits scored from national and state floras and the taxonomic literature, University of New South Wales”. 2023.
ANBG_201911Australian National Botanic Gardens. The National Seed Bank. 2018. url: http://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/living/seedbank/.
Ilic_200011J. 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_211Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. 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.
Wenk_202311E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant life history dataset, University of New South Wales, Sydney”. 2023.