AusTraits

Breynia cernua

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Phyllanthaceae

Taxonomy: Breynia cernua (Poir.) Müll.Arg.

Synonyms: 6 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Breynia muelleriana Baill. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Breynia rhynchocarpa Benth. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Breynia stipitata Müll.Arg. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Melanthesa cernua (Poir.) Decne. (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Phyllanthus cernua Poir. (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Phyllanthus cernuus Poir. (nomenclatural synonym)

Distribution (APC): WA, NT, Qld

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

Traits

Top source datasets: ABRS_2022 (12), ABRS_2023 (57), Apgaua_2017 (12), Brock_1993 (9), Campbell_2006 (6), Clarke_2015 (3), Cooper_2013 (14), Crowley_2007 (2), Gross_2005 (4), Jagdish_2020 (10), Kew_2019_1 (1), Kooyman_2011 (21), Lord_1997 (4), Metcalfe_2009 (19), NTH_2014 (5), NTH_2022 (3), NTH_2023 (21), Nano_2011 (2), RussellSmith_2012 (4), Schmidt_2003 (2), Sjostrom_2006 (4), Tng_2013 (5), WAH_1998 (1), WAH_2022_2 (3), WAH_2023_2 (2), Wells_2012 (107), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), White_2020 (19), Wright_2000 (1). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 80 traits from 356 records in 30 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: Campbell_2006; Clarke_2015; Crowley_2007; Metcalfe_2009; Nano_2011; RussellSmith_2012; White_2020]
  • post_fire_recruitment (categorical): post_fire_recruitment_absent (2) [sources: Campbell_2006; Clarke_2015]
flower morphology
  • sex_type (categorical): monoecious (5) [sources: ABRS_2022; Gross_2005; Sjostrom_2006]
fruit morphology
  • fruit_length (numerical): 5.33 mm (3-12 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Cooper_2013; NTH_2023]
  • fruit_width (numerical): 6.24 mm (3-10 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Cooper_2013; NTH_2023]
  • fruit_height (numerical): 6.05 mm (3-9 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; NTH_2023]
  • fruit_type (categorical): berry (7) [sources: ABRS_2023; Cooper_2013; Gross_2005; NTH_2023; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_fleshiness (categorical): fleshy (5) [sources: Cooper_2013; Gross_2005; Metcalfe_2009; Sjostrom_2006; Wells_2012]
  • fruit_dehiscence (categorical): indehiscent (3) [sources: Cooper_2013; Gross_2005; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_colour (categorical): black (2); pink (1); red (1); white (1); yellow (1) [sources: ABRS_2023; NTH_2023]
leaf morphology
  • leaf_area (numerical): 1639.17 mm2 (762.42-3360 mm2) [sources: Metcalfe_2009; Tng_2013; Wells_2012]
  • leaf_length (numerical): 59.5 mm (12-100 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Brock_1993; Kooyman_2011; NTH_2023]
  • leaf_width (numerical): 30.08 mm (8-56 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Brock_1993; Kooyman_2011; NTH_2023]
  • leaf_dry_mass (numerical): 34.91 mg (16.03-94.54 mg) [sources: Wells_2012]
  • petiole_length (numerical): 0.38 cm (0.25-0.5 cm) [sources: NTH_2023]
  • leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 37.11 g/m2 (20.22-85.73 g/m2) [sources: Tng_2013; Wells_2012]
  • leaf_dry_matter_content (numerical): 0.21 g/g (0.19-0.25 g/g) [sources: Wells_2012]
  • leaf_shape (categorical): elliptical (3); lanceolate (1); obovate (1); orbicular (2); ovate (5) [sources: ABRS_2023; Brock_1993; NTH_2023]
  • leaf_base_shape (categorical): attenuate (1); cuneate (1); rounded (1); truncate (1) [sources: NTH_2023]
  • leaf_margin (categorical): entire (1) [sources: NTH_2023]
  • leaf_margin_posture (categorical): revolute (1) [sources: ABRS_2023]
  • leaf_lobation (categorical): unlobed (2) [sources: Kooyman_2011]
  • leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (7) [sources: ABRS_2023; Brock_1993; Kooyman_2011; NTH_2014]
  • leaf_phyllotaxis (categorical): alternate (1) [sources: NTH_2023]
  • plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (4) [sources: ABRS_2023; NTH_2023]
life history
  • photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c3 (2) [sources: Metcalfe_2009; White_2020]
  • plant_growth_form (categorical): shrub (13); tree (7) [sources: ABRS_2022; Apgaua_2017; Brock_1993; Campbell_2006; Cooper_2013; Kooyman_2011; Lord_1997; Metcalfe_2009; NTH_2022; WAH_2022_2; Wells_2012; Wenk_2022; White_2020]
  • life_form (categorical): phanerophyte (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2009]
  • life_history (categorical): perennial (8) [sources: ABRS_2022; Brock_1993; Metcalfe_2009; NTH_2022; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2023]
  • woodiness_detailed (categorical): woody (6) [sources: ABRS_2022; NTH_2022; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022]
  • leaf_phenology (categorical): evergreen (3) [sources: Kooyman_2011; NTH_2014]
  • nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (2) [sources: Metcalfe_2009; White_2020]
  • root_structure (categorical): mycorrhizal (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2009]
  • parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • pollination_syndrome (categorical): insect (1); wind (2) [sources: Metcalfe_2009; Wells_2012; White_2020]
  • dispersal_syndrome (categorical): endozoochory (2); zoochory (1) [sources: Lord_1997; Metcalfe_2009; White_2020]
  • dispersers (categorical): birds (3); vertebrates (2) [sources: Campbell_2006; Cooper_2013; Lord_1997; Wells_2012; White_2020]
  • flowering_time (categorical): yyyyyynnnnnn (1); yyyyyynnnnny (1); yyyyyyyyyyyy (2) [sources: Cooper_2013; NTH_2014; WAH_1998; White_2020]
  • seedbank_location (categorical): none (1); soil_seedbank (1) [sources: Campbell_2006; Metcalfe_2009]
  • seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): persistent (2); short_persistent (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2009; RussellSmith_2012; White_2020]
  • vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): not_vegetative (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • clonal_spread_mechanism (categorical): non_clonal (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2009]
  • bud_bank_location (categorical): basal_buds (1); basal_stem_buds (2); bud-bearing_root (3); epicormic_buds (1); rhizome (2) [sources: Campbell_2006; Clarke_2015; Crowley_2007; Nano_2011]
nutrient and stable isotope
  • leaf_delta13C (numerical): -32.04 {delta}[ppth] (-33.82--29.75 {delta}[ppth]) [sources: Apgaua_2017; Schmidt_2003; Tng_2013]
seed morphology
  • seed_dry_mass (numerical): 9.15 mg (7.1-13.03 mg) [sources: Jagdish_2020; Kew_2019_1; Lord_1997; Metcalfe_2009]
  • seed_length (numerical): 4.21 mm (3-5 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Cooper_2013; Kooyman_2011; NTH_2023]
  • seed_width (numerical): 2.25 mm (2-3 mm) [sources: Kooyman_2011]
  • seed_shape (categorical): polyhedral (4) [sources: ABRS_2023; NTH_2014]
stem morphology
  • wood_density (numerical): 0.54 mg/mm3 (0.39-0.73 mg/mm3) [sources: Apgaua_2017; Metcalfe_2009; Tng_2013; Wells_2012]
  • stem_vessel_density (numerical): 130.24 {count}/mm2 (130.24-130.24 {count}/mm2) [sources: Apgaua_2017]
  • stem_vessel_diameter (numerical): 34.38 um (34.38-34.38 um) [sources: Apgaua_2017]
  • stem_vessel_lumen_fraction (numerical): 0.12 mm2/mm2 (0.12-0.12 mm2/mm2) [sources: Apgaua_2017]
whole plant morphology

Sources

dataset_idn_traitsn_recordsreference
Wells_201222107J. 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.
ABRS_20231457Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
Kooyman_2011921R. 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.
NTH_20231521D. 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/.
Metcalfe_20091919E. 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.
White_20201919M. White, S. Sinclair, and D. Frood. Victorian Vital Attributes Database. database. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, 2020.
Cooper_20131114W. Cooper and W. T. Cooper. Australian rainforest fruits. CSIRO Publishing, 2013, p. 272.
ABRS_2022412Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
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.
Jagdish_2020210A. Jagdish. “Unpublished data: Germination photoperiod sensitivity of Australian Plants, University of New South Wales”. 2020.
Brock_199379J. Brock and A. Dunlop. Native plants of northern Australia. Reed New Holland, 1993. ISBN: 9781877069246.
Campbell_200666M. L. Campbell and P. J. Clarke. “Response of montane wet sclerophyll forest understorey species to fire- evidence from high and low intensity fires”. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 127 (2006), pp. 63-73. doi: unknown.
NTH_201455Northern Territory Herbarium. Flora of the Darwin Region Online. 2014. url: http://www.lrm.nt.gov.au/plants-and-animals/herbarium/darwin_flora_online.
Tng_201355D. Y. P. Tng, G. J. Jordan, and D. M. J. S. Bowman. “Plant traits demonstrate that temperate and tropical giant Eucalypt forests are ecologically convergent with rainforest not savanna”. PLoS ONE 8 (2013), p. e84378. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084378.
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.
Lord_199744J. Lord, J. Egan, T. Clifford, E. Jurado, M. Leishman, D. Williams, and M. Westoby. “Larger seeds in tropical floras: Consistent patterns independent of growth form and dispersal mode”. Journal of Biogeography 24 (1997), pp. 205-211. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2699.1997.00126.x.
RussellSmith_201244J. Russell-Smith, M. R. Gardener, C. Brock, K. Brennan, C. P. Yates, and B. Grace. “Fire persistence traits can be used to predict vegetation response to changing fire regimes at expansive landscape scales - an Australian example”. Journal of Biogeography 39 (2012), pp. 1657-1668. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2012.02714.x.
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.
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.
NTH_202233D. 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/.
WAH_2022_233Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. 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).
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.
Schmidt_200322S. 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.
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.
Kew_2019_111Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
WAH_199811Western Australian Herbarium. FloraBase: The Western Australian flora. 1998. url: http://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au.
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.