Bursaria incana

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Family Pittosporaceae

Taxonomy: Bursaria incana Lindl.

Synonyms: 5 (APC 2026-07-30)

Bursaria incana Lindl. var. incana (nomenclatural synonym)
Bursaria incana Lindl. x Bursaria tenuifolia F.M.Bailey (taxonomic synonym)
Bursaria incana var. septentrionalis E.M.Benn. (taxonomic synonym)
Bursaria spinosa var. incana (Lindl.) Benth. (nomenclatural synonym)
Bursaria spinosa var. incana (Lindl.) F.Muell. ex Klatt (nomenclatural synonym)

Distribution (APC): NT, Qld

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

Traits

Top source datasets: ABRS_2022 (3), ABRS_2023 (23), ATRP_2020 (1), Butler_2004 (5), Clarke_2015 (3), Collette_2021 (1), Cooper_2013 (13), Crowley_2007 (2), Dwyer_2018 (7), Kew_2019_1 (1), Kew_2019_6 (3), Kooyman_2011 (14), NTH_2014 (4), NTH_2022 (3), NTH_2023 (19), Nano_2011 (2), RadfordSmith_2024 (39), RussellSmith_2012 (4), Sjostrom_2006 (3), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), Westoby_2014 (32). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 75 traits from 185 records in 22 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): resprouts (4) [sources: Clarke_2015; Crowley_2007; Nano_2011; RussellSmith_2012]
post_fire_recruitment (categorical): post_fire_recruitment (1) [sources: Clarke_2015]

fruit morphology

fruit_length (numerical): 8.17 mm (6-10 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Cooper_2013; NTH_2023]
fruit_width (numerical): 8.58 mm (5-15 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Cooper_2013; NTH_2023]
fruit_height (numerical): 8 mm (7-9 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023]
fruit_type (categorical): capsule (4) [sources: ABRS_2023; Cooper_2013; RadfordSmith_2024; Sjostrom_2006]
fruit_fleshiness (categorical): dry (2) [sources: Cooper_2013; Sjostrom_2006]
fruit_dehiscence (categorical): dehiscent (4) [sources: ABRS_2023; Cooper_2013; NTH_2023; Sjostrom_2006]
fruit_colour (categorical): brown (2) [sources: ABRS_2023; NTH_2023]

leaf morphology

leaf_area (numerical): 136.9 mm2 (112.1-179.4 mm2) [sources: RadfordSmith_2024]
leaf_length (numerical): 56.67 mm (7-90 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Kooyman_2011; NTH_2023]
leaf_width (numerical): 10.17 mm (1-19 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Kooyman_2011; NTH_2023]
leaf_dry_mass (numerical): 17.47 mg (14.38-23 mg) [sources: RadfordSmith_2024]
petiole_length (numerical): 0.1 cm (0-0.2 cm) [sources: NTH_2023]
leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 151.8 g/m2 (125.95-181.82 g/m2) [sources: Dwyer_2018; RadfordSmith_2024]
leaf_dry_matter_content (numerical): 0.47 g/g (0.45-0.49 g/g) [sources: RadfordSmith_2024]
leaf_shape (categorical): narrowly_elliptical (1); obcordate (1); oblanceolate (1) [sources: ABRS_2023; NTH_2023]
leaf_base_shape (categorical): attenuate (1) [sources: NTH_2023]
leaf_margin (categorical): entire (2) [sources: ABRS_2023; NTH_2023]
leaf_margin_posture (categorical): flat (1); revolute (2) [sources: ABRS_2023; NTH_2023]
leaf_lobation (categorical): unlobed (1) [sources: Kooyman_2011]
leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (3) [sources: ABRS_2023; Kooyman_2011; NTH_2014]
leaf_phyllotaxis (categorical): alternate (1) [sources: NTH_2023]
leaf_arrangement (categorical): clustered (1) [sources: ABRS_2023]
plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (1) [sources: ABRS_2023]

life history

plant_growth_form (categorical): shrub (2); tree (6) [sources: ABRS_2022; ATRP_2020; Butler_2004; Cooper_2013; Kooyman_2011; NTH_2022; Wenk_2022]
life_history (categorical): perennial (3) [sources: ABRS_2022; NTH_2022; Wenk_2023]
woodiness_detailed (categorical): woody (3) [sources: ABRS_2022; NTH_2022; Wenk_2022]
leaf_phenology (categorical): evergreen (3) [sources: Kooyman_2011; NTH_2014; RadfordSmith_2024]
dispersal_syndrome (categorical): anemochory (2) [sources: Butler_2004; RadfordSmith_2024]
dispersers (categorical): wind (1) [sources: Butler_2004]
flowering_time (categorical): nyyynnnnnnnn (1); yyyyyynnnnnn (1) [sources: Cooper_2013; NTH_2014]
seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): persistent (1) [sources: RussellSmith_2012]
seed_dormancy_class (categorical): non_dormant (1) [sources: Collette_2021]
bud_bank_location (categorical): basal_stem_buds (3); bud-bearing_root (2); rhizome (2) [sources: Clarke_2015; Crowley_2007; Nano_2011]

nutrient and stable isotope

leaf_N_per_dry_mass (numerical): 8.62 mg/g (8.62-8.62 mg/g) [sources: Westoby_2014]
leaf_P_per_dry_mass (numerical): 0.49 mg/g (0.49-0.49 mg/g) [sources: Westoby_2014]
leaf_delta13C (numerical): -27.87 {delta}[ppth] (-27.87--27.87 {delta}[ppth]) [sources: Westoby_2014]

seed morphology

seed_dry_mass (numerical): 2.71 mg (2.71-2.71 mg) [sources: Kew_2019_1]
seed_length (numerical): 5 mm (4-7 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Cooper_2013; Kooyman_2011]
seed_width (numerical): 3.17 mm (2-4 mm) [sources: Butler_2004; ABRS_2023; Kooyman_2011]

stem morphology

wood_density (numerical): 0.75 mg/mm3 (0.67-0.82 mg/mm3) [sources: Dwyer_2018; RadfordSmith_2024]

whole plant morphology

plant_height (numerical): 9 m (6-10 m) [sources: ABRS_2023; Cooper_2013; Kooyman_2011; NTH_2023]

Sources

dataset_id	n_traits	n_records	reference
RadfordSmith_2024	14	39	J. Radford-Smith, H. R. Lai, E. C. Weeren, and J. M. Dwyer. “A Functional Basis for the Assembly of Australian Subtropical Rainforest Tree Communities”. Ecology Letters 27.11 (2024). ISSN: 1461-0248. doi: 10.1111/ele.70014.
Westoby_2014	26	32	S. 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.
ABRS_2023	17	23	Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
NTH_2023	14	19	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/.
Kooyman_2011	10	14	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.
Cooper_2013	10	13	W. Cooper and W. T. Cooper. Australian rainforest fruits. CSIRO Publishing, 2013, p. 272.
Dwyer_2018	2	7	J. M. Dwyer and R. Mason. “Plant community responses to thinning in densely regenerating Acacia harpophylla forest”. Restoration Ecology 26.1 (2018), pp. 97-105. doi: 10.1111/rec.12536.
Butler_2004	5	5	D. W. Butler, R. J. Green, D. Lamb, W. J. F. Mcdonald, and P. I. Forster. “Biogeography of seed-dispersal syndromes, life-forms and seed sizes among woody rain-forest plants in Australia's subtropics”. Journal of Biogeography 34.10 (2007), pp. 1736-1750. ISSN: 1365-2699. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2007.01734.x.
NTH_2014	4	4	Northern Territory Herbarium. Flora of the Darwin Region Online. 2014. url: http://www.lrm.nt.gov.au/plants-and-animals/herbarium/darwin_flora_online.
RussellSmith_2012	4	4	J. 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.
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.
Clarke_2015	3	3	P. 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.
Kew_2019_6	1	3	Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Germination data from the Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
NTH_2022	3	3	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	3	3	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.
Crowley_2007	2	2	G. Crowley, M. Gardener, and M. Marrinan. Tropical savannas fire response database. 2007. url: [www.landmanager.org.au](www.landmanager.org.au).
Nano_2011	2	2	C. 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.
Wenk_2022	2	2	E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant growth forms dataset”. 2022.
ATRP_2020	1	1	F. 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.
Collette_2021	1	1	J. C. Collette and M. K. J. Ooi. “Distribution of seed dormancy classes across a fire-prone continent: effects of rainfall seasonality and temperature”. Annals of Botany 127.5 (2021), pp. 613-620. doi: 10.1093/aob/mcaa203.
Kew_2019_1	1	1	Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
Wenk_2023	1	1	E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant life history dataset, University of New South Wales, Sydney”. 2023.