AusTraits

Carex appressa

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Cyperaceae

Taxonomy: Carex appressa R.Br.

Synonyms: 13 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Carex appressa R.Br. f. appressa (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Carex appressa R.Br. var. appressa (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Carex appressa f. diaphana (Boott) Kük. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Carex appressa f. minor Kük. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Carex appressa var. diaphana (Boott) Domin (taxonomic synonym)
  • Carex appressa var. typica Domin (taxonomic synonym)
  • Carex appressa var. virgata (Sol. ex Boott) Kük. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Carex apressa K.A.W.Williams (orthographic variant)
  • Carex chlorantha var. composita Benth. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Carex diaphana Boott (taxonomic synonym)
  • Carex inversa f. parvula Kük. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Carex paniculata var. subdiaphana Benth. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Carex virgata Sol. ex Boott (taxonomic synonym)
Misapplied names: 1 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Carex paniculata L. (misapplied)

Distribution (APC): WA, SA, Qld, NSW, ACT, Vic, Tas

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

Traits

Top source datasets: ANBG_2019 (8), Carey_2003 (3), Cheal_2017 (5), Doherty_2021 (2), Draper_2023 (3), Duncan_1998 (20), Jordan_2001 (7), Kew_2019_1 (7), Kew_2019_6 (7), Leishman_1993 (1), Leishman_1995 (6), Metcalfe_2020_1 (23), Mokany_2015 (3), Morgan_2011_1 (5), Munroe_2019 (1), NHNSW_2014_2 (5), NHNSW_2022 (3), NHNSW_2023 (11), NSWFRD_2014 (5), Pickering_2014 (4), RBGK_2014 (1), RBGV_2022 (3), RBGV_2023 (11), SAH_2014 (1), SAH_2022 (3), SAH_2023 (4), Sjostrom_2006 (4), WAH_1998 (1), WAH_2022_2 (5), WAH_2023_2 (3), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), Wheeler_2002 (10), White_2020 (40), Williams_2011 (9). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 68 traits from 227 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): resprouts (6) [sources: Carey_2003; Cheal_2017; Doherty_2021; NSWFRD_2014; White_2020]
  • post_fire_recruitment (categorical): post_fire_recruitment_absent (1) [sources: Carey_2003]
flower morphology
  • flower_colour (categorical): green (1); red_brown (1); white_cream (1); yellow_orange (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2]
  • sex_type (categorical): hermaphrodite (1); monoecious (4) [sources: Jordan_2001; Metcalfe_2020_1; Sjostrom_2006; WAH_2022_2]
fruit morphology
  • fruit_length (numerical): 2.5 mm (2-3 mm) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_1; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • fruit_width (numerical): 1.23 mm (1-1.7 mm) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_1; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • fruit_height (numerical): 1.35 mm (1-1.7 mm) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_1; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • fruit_type (categorical): nut (4); utricle (3) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_1; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_fleshiness (categorical): dry (3) [sources: Jordan_2001; Metcalfe_2020_1; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_dehiscence (categorical): indehiscent (2) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_1; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_colour (categorical): brown (2); green (2); yellow (2) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
leaf morphology
  • leaf_area (numerical): 2029.82 mm2 (42.41-3600 mm2) [sources: Duncan_1998; Leishman_1995; Mokany_2015; Pickering_2014]
  • leaf_length (numerical): 950 mm (400-1800 mm) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_1; Wheeler_2002]
  • leaf_width (numerical): 5.7 mm (2-12 mm) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_1; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Wheeler_2002]
  • leaf_dry_mass (numerical): 199.75 mg (135.1-264.4 mg) [sources: Duncan_1998]
  • leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 71.9 g/m2 (56.69-82.99 g/m2) [sources: Duncan_1998; Leishman_1995; Pickering_2014]
  • leaf_dry_matter_content (numerical): 0.34 g/g (0.28-0.39 g/g) [sources: Duncan_1998; Pickering_2014]
  • leaf_shape (categorical): linear (1) [sources: Wheeler_2002]
  • leaf_base_shape (categorical): sheathing (1) [sources: SAH_2023]
  • leaf_margin (categorical): entire (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2]
  • leaf_lobation (categorical): unlobed (1) [sources: Wheeler_2002]
  • leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (3) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_1; NHNSW_2014_2; Wheeler_2002]
life history
  • photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c3 (5); c4 (1) [sources: Duncan_1998; Metcalfe_2020_1; Munroe_2019; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • plant_growth_form (categorical): graminoid (6); herb (8); tussock (3) [sources: Leishman_1995; Metcalfe_2020_1; NHNSW_2022; NSWFRD_2014; Pickering_2014; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022; Wheeler_2002; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • life_form (categorical): geophyte (1); hemicryptophyte (3) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_1; Morgan_2011_1; Williams_2011]
  • life_history (categorical): perennial (9) [sources: Cheal_2017; Jordan_2001; Morgan_2011_1; NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2023; Wheeler_2002]
  • woodiness_detailed (categorical): herbaceous (5) [sources: NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022]
  • stem_growth_habit (categorical): rhizomatous (1) [sources: WAH_2022_2]
  • nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (3) [sources: White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • root_structure (categorical): non_mycorrhizal (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (2) [sources: White_2020]
  • pollination_syndrome (categorical): insect (1); vertebrate (2); wind (2) [sources: Draper_2023; Metcalfe_2020_1; White_2020]
  • pollination_system (categorical): biotic_unspecialised (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • dispersal_syndrome (categorical): barochory (2); hydrochory (2); myrmecochory (1); undefined (1); zoochory (1) [sources: Draper_2023; Leishman_1995; Morgan_2011_1; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • dispersers (categorical): ants (1); invertebrates (1); water (2) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
  • flowering_time (categorical): nnnnnnnnyynn (1); nnnnnnnnyyyn (1); yynnnnnnyyyy (1); yyyynnnnyyyy (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2; WAH_1998; White_2020]
  • seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): persistent (2) [sources: White_2020]
  • vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): not_vegetative (3); vegetative (2) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_1; Morgan_2011_1; NHNSW_2014_2; White_2020]
  • clonal_spread_mechanism (categorical): belowground_clonal (1); non_clonal (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_1; Williams_2011]
  • storage_organ (categorical): rhizome (3) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; WAH_2023_2]
  • bud_bank_location (categorical): basal_buds (2); bud-bearing_root (1) [sources: Carey_2003; Doherty_2021; NSWFRD_2014]
seed morphology
  • seed_dry_mass (numerical): 0.8 mg (0.48-1.61 mg) [sources: ANBG_2019; Kew_2019_1; Leishman_1993; Leishman_1995; Metcalfe_2020_1; Mokany_2015; RBGK_2014]
  • seed_length (numerical): 2.53 mm (1.7-3 mm) [sources: ANBG_2019; Jordan_2001; Metcalfe_2020_1]
  • seed_width (numerical): 1.32 mm (1.2-1.45 mm) [sources: ANBG_2019; Jordan_2001]
  • seed_shape (categorical): ovoid_elongated (1) [sources: ANBG_2019]
whole plant morphology

Sources

dataset_idn_traitsn_recordsreference
White_20202040M. White, S. Sinclair, and D. Frood. Victorian Vital Attributes Database. database. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, 2020.
Metcalfe_2020_11923D. Metcalfe. “Unpublished data: Database of Cyperaceae traits, CSIRO”. 2020.
Duncan_19981120D. H. Duncan. “Unpublished data: Structural basis of variation in leaf mass per area in three plant clades, Macquarie University”. 1998.
NHNSW_2023711N. 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/.
RBGV_2023711VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2023. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
Wheeler_2002810J. R. Wheeler, N. G. Marchant, and M. Lewington. Flora of the south west: Bunbury, Augusta, Denmark. Australian Biological Resources Study ; University of Western Australia Press, 2002. ISBN: 9780642568168.
Williams_201199R. P. Duncan, S. E. Clemants, R. T. Corlett, A. K. Hahs, M. A. McCarthy, M. J. McDonnell, M. W. Schwartz, K. Thompson, P. A. Vesk, and N. S. G. Williams. “Plant traits and extinction in urban areas: a meta-analysis of 11 cities”. Global Ecology and Biogeography 20.4 (2011), pp. 509-519. doi: 10.1111/j.1466-8238.2010.00633.x.
ANBG_201968Australian National Botanic Gardens. The National Seed Bank. 2018. url: http://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/living/seedbank/.
Jordan_200177G. J. Jordan. “An investigation of long-distance dispersal based on species native to both Tasmania and New Zealand”. Australian Journal of Botany 49.3 (2001), pp. 333-340. doi: 10.1071/bt00024.
Kew_2019_117Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
Kew_2019_617Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Germination data from the Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
Leishman_199566M. R. Leishman, M. Westoby, and E. Jurado. “Correlates of seed size variation: A comparison among five temperate floras”. Journal of Ecology 83 (1995), pp. 517-529. doi: 10.2307/2261604.
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.
Morgan_2011_155J. Morgan. “Unpublished data: Grassy woodland traits, La Trobe University”. 2011.
NHNSW_2014_255Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. PLantNET: NSW flora online. 2014. url: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/.
NSWFRD_201455B. Kenny, C. Orscheg, E. Tasker, M. A. Gill, and R. Bradstock. NSW Flora Fire Response Database, v2.1. database. NSW Department of Planning Industry and Environment, 2014.
WAH_2022_255Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
Pickering_201444C. Pickering, K. Green, A. A. Barros, and S. Venn. “A resurvey of late-lying snowpatches reveals changes in both species and functional composition across snowmelt zones”. Alpine Botany 124.2 (2014), pp. 93-103. doi: 10.1007/s00035-014-0140-0.
SAH_202334S. 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/.
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.
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.
Mokany_201533K. Mokany, J. J. Thomson, A. J. J. Lynch, G. J. Jordan, and S. Ferrier. “Linking changes in community composition and function under climate change”. Ecological Applications 25.8 (2015), pp. 2132-2141. doi: 10.1890/14-2384.1.
NHNSW_202233N. 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_202233VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2022. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
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/.
WAH_2023_223Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
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.
Wenk_202222E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant growth forms dataset”. 2022.
Leishman_199311M. Leishman. “Unpublished data: Seed mass data for Sydney species, Macquarie University”. 1990.
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.
RBGK_201411Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed Information Database (SID). 2014. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
SAH_201411J. P. Jessop and H. R. Toelken. Flora of South Australia, 4th edition, 4 vols. Electronic version curated by J. Kellermann, State Herbarium of South Australia.. Government Printer, Adelaide, 1986.
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.