Carpobrotus modestus

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Family Aizoaceae

Taxonomy: Carpobrotus modestus S.T.Blake

Synonyms: none listed in the APC 2026-07-30

Distribution (APC): WA, SA, Vic

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

Traits

Top source datasets: ABRS_2022 (3), ABRS_2023 (11), Cheal_2017 (8), Draper_2023 (3), Farrell_2012 (23), Gosper_2012 (5), Kew_2019_1 (2), RBGV_2022 (3), RBGV_2023 (10), SAH_2022 (3), SAH_2023 (14), Schmidt_1993 (1), Sjostrom_2006 (3), Tsakalos_2020 (16), WAH_1998 (1), WAH_2022_2 (4), WAH_2023_2 (2), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), Wheeler_2002 (10), White_2020 (20), Williams_2011 (10). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 55 traits from 155 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): fire_killed (3) [sources: Cheal_2017; Gosper_2012; White_2020]
post_fire_recruitment (categorical): post_fire_recruitment (1) [sources: Cheal_2017]

flower morphology

sex_type (categorical): hermaphrodite (1) [sources: Sjostrom_2006]

fruit morphology

fruit_length (numerical): 17.5 mm (15-20 mm) [sources: RBGV_2023; SAH_2023]
fruit_type (categorical): capsule (3) [sources: ABRS_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023]
fruit_fleshiness (categorical): dry (2) [sources: Sjostrom_2006; Tsakalos_2020]
fruit_dehiscence (categorical): indehiscent (4) [sources: ABRS_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Sjostrom_2006]
fruit_colour (categorical): purple (1) [sources: SAH_2023]

leaf morphology

leaf_length (numerical): 51.88 mm (30-70 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Wheeler_2002]
leaf_width (numerical): 6.08 mm (4-9 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; SAH_2023; Wheeler_2002]
leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 557.98 g/m2 (476.11-647.96 g/m2) [sources: Farrell_2012]
leaf_shape (categorical): elliptical (1) [sources: Wheeler_2002]
leaf_margin (categorical): entire (1); toothed_crenate (3) [sources: ABRS_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Tsakalos_2020]
leaf_lobation (categorical): unlobed (1) [sources: Wheeler_2002]
leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (3) [sources: ABRS_2023; Tsakalos_2020; Wheeler_2002]
leaf_glaucousness (categorical): glaucous (3); not_glaucous (3) [sources: ABRS_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Tsakalos_2020]
leaf_hairs_adult_leaves (categorical): glabrous (1) [sources: Tsakalos_2020]
leaf_phyllotaxis (categorical): opposite (2) [sources: ABRS_2023; RBGV_2023]
plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): cladode (1); leaf (4) [sources: ABRS_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Tsakalos_2020]

life history

photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): cam (2); facultative_cam (1) [sources: Farrell_2012; Tsakalos_2020; White_2020]
plant_growth_form (categorical): herb (7); shrub (2) [sources: ABRS_2022; Farrell_2012; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022; Wheeler_2002; White_2020; Williams_2011]
life_form (categorical): chamaephyte (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
life_history (categorical): perennial (7); short_lived_perennial (1) [sources: ABRS_2022; Cheal_2017; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; Tsakalos_2020; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2023; Wheeler_2002]
woodiness_detailed (categorical): herbaceous (5); woody (1) [sources: ABRS_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; Tsakalos_2020; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022]
plant_succulence (categorical): succulent (2); succulent_leaves (1) [sources: Farrell_2012; Tsakalos_2020; Williams_2011]
stem_growth_habit (categorical): prostrate (3) [sources: Tsakalos_2020; WAH_2022_2; White_2020]
nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (2) [sources: White_2020; Williams_2011]
root_structure (categorical): non_mycorrhizal (2) [sources: Schmidt_1993; Williams_2011]
parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (2) [sources: Tsakalos_2020; White_2020]
pollination_syndrome (categorical): insect (2) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
pollination_system (categorical): biotic_unspecialised (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
dispersal_syndrome (categorical): endozoochory (3); zoochory (1) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020; Williams_2011]
dispersers (categorical): birds (2); vertebrates (1) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
flowering_time (categorical): nnnnnnnyyyyn (1); nnnnyyyyyynn (1); yynnnnnnyyyy (1) [sources: Tsakalos_2020; WAH_1998; White_2020]
seedbank_location (categorical): canopy_seedbank_absent (1); soil_seedbank (1) [sources: Gosper_2012]
serotiny (categorical): not_serotinous (1) [sources: Gosper_2012]
seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): long_persistent (1); transient (1) [sources: Cheal_2017; White_2020]
vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): not_vegetative (1) [sources: White_2020]
clonal_spread_mechanism (categorical): stolon (1) [sources: Williams_2011]

seed morphology

seed_dry_mass (numerical): 0.14 mg (0.11-0.17 mg) [sources: Kew_2019_1]
seed_length (numerical): 1.15 mm (1-1.3 mm) [sources: SAH_2023]

whole plant morphology

plant_height (numerical): 0.29 m (0.06-0.5 m) [sources: WAH_2023_2; Wheeler_2002]
plant_physical_defence_structures (categorical): absent (2) [sources: Tsakalos_2020; White_2020]

Sources

dataset_id	n_traits	n_records	reference
Farrell_2012	5	23	C. Farrell, R. E. Mitchell, C. Szota, J. P. Rayner, and N. S. G. Williams. “Green roofs for hot and dry climates: Interacting effects of plant water use, succulence and substrate”. Ecological Engineering 49 (2012), pp. 270-276. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2012.08.036.
White_2020	20	20	M. White, S. Sinclair, and D. Frood. Victorian Vital Attributes Database. database. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, 2020.
Tsakalos_2020	15	16	J. L. Tsakalos, M. Renton, F. Riviera, E. J. Veneklaas, M. P. Dobrowolski, and L. Mucina. “Trait-based formal definition of plant functional types and functional communities in the multi-species and multi-traits context”. Ecological Complexity 40 (2019), p. 100787. doi: 10.1016/j.ecocom.2019.100787.
SAH_2023	10	14	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/.
ABRS_2023	9	11	Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
RBGV_2023	8	10	VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2023. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
Wheeler_2002	8	10	J. 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_2011	10	10	R. 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.
Cheal_2017	8	8	D. 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.
Gosper_2012	5	5	C. R. Gosper, C. J. Yates, and S. M. Prober. “Changes in plant species and functional composition with time since fire in two mediterranean climate plant communities”. Journal of Vegetation Science 23.6 (2012), pp. 1071-1081. doi: 10.1111/j.1654-1103.2012.01434.x.
WAH_2022_2	4	4	Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
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.
RBGV_2022	3	3	VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2022. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
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/.
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.
Kew_2019_1	1	2	Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
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.
Schmidt_1993	1	1	S. Schmidt. “Unpublished data: Compilation of mycorrhizal status data, University of Queensland”. 1993.
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.