Cassinia aculeata

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Asteraceae

Taxonomy: Cassinia aculeata (Labill.) R.Br.

Synonyms: 8 (APC 2026-07-30)

Calea aculeata Labill. (nomenclatural synonym)
Casinia aculeata F.Muell. (orthographic variant)
Cassinia aculeata (Labill.) R.Br. var. aculeata (nomenclatural synonym)
Cassinia affinis R.Br. (taxonomic synonym)
Chromochiton aculeata B.D.Jacks. (taxonomic synonym)
Chromochiton affinis B.D.Jacks. (taxonomic synonym)
Elichrysum pseudoferrugineum Hochr. (taxonomic synonym)
Helichrysum pseudoferrugineum Hochr. (taxonomic synonym)

Misapplied names: 1 (APC 2026-07-30)

Cassinia laevis R.Br. (pro parte misapplied)

Distribution (APC): NSW, ACT, Vic, Tas

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

Traits

Top source datasets: ANBG_2019 (1), Cheal_2017 (8), Clarke_2015 (3), Collette_2021 (1), Doherty_2021 (3), Draper_2023 (3), Hughes_1992 (4), Jordan_2001 (7), Kew_2019_1 (3), Kew_2019_6 (2), Kubiak_2009 (4), McGlone_2015 (6), Meers_2007 (11), Mokany_2015 (1), NHNSW_2014_2 (2), NHNSW_2022 (4), NHNSW_2023 (16), NSWFRD_2014 (9), Pickup_2021 (10), Rosell_2014 (8), Sjostrom_2006 (4), Staples_2019 (5), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), Westoby_2014 (39), White_2020 (19), Williams_2011 (9), Wright_2006 (6), Yang_2023 (1), eFLOWER_Dun_2022 (4). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 99 traits from 196 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 (8); resprouts (1) [sources: Cheal_2017; Clarke_2015; Doherty_2021; Kubiak_2009; Meers_2007; NSWFRD_2014; Pickup_2021; White_2020]
post_fire_recruitment (categorical): post_fire_recruitment (4); post_fire_recruitment_absent (1) [sources: Cheal_2017; Clarke_2015; Pickup_2021; Yang_2023]

flower morphology

flower_colour (categorical): white_cream (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2]
sex_type (categorical): hermaphrodite (2); monoecious (1) [sources: Jordan_2001; Sjostrom_2006]

fruit morphology

fruit_length (numerical): 0.9 mm (0.8-1 mm) [sources: NHNSW_2023]
fruit_type (categorical): achene (2) [sources: NHNSW_2023; Sjostrom_2006]
fruit_fleshiness (categorical): dry (2) [sources: Jordan_2001; Sjostrom_2006]
fruit_dehiscence (categorical): indehiscent (1) [sources: Sjostrom_2006]
fruit_colour (categorical): brown (1) [sources: NHNSW_2023]

leaf morphology

leaf_area (numerical): 30.13 mm2 (12.4-47.12 mm2) [sources: Meers_2007; Mokany_2015; Westoby_2014; Wright_2006]
leaf_length (numerical): 38.25 mm (3-50 mm) [sources: McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2023]
leaf_width (numerical): 1.92 mm (0.7-2.5 mm) [sources: McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2023]
leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 75.82 g/m2 (58.58-89.5 g/m2) [sources: Meers_2007; Westoby_2014; Wright_2006]
leaf_shape (categorical): linear (1) [sources: NHNSW_2023]
leaf_margin (categorical): entire (1) [sources: NHNSW_2023]
leaf_margin_posture (categorical): revolute (1) [sources: NHNSW_2023]
leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (2) [sources: McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2023]
leaf_phyllotaxis (categorical): alternate (1); opposite (1) [sources: NHNSW_2023]
plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (1) [sources: NHNSW_2023]

life history

photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c3 (1) [sources: White_2020]
plant_growth_form (categorical): shrub (9) [sources: Hughes_1992; McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2022; NSWFRD_2014; Pickup_2021; Wenk_2022; White_2020; Williams_2011]
life_form (categorical): phanerophyte (2) [sources: Meers_2007; Williams_2011]
life_history (categorical): perennial (4) [sources: Cheal_2017; Jordan_2001; NHNSW_2022; Wenk_2023]
woodiness_detailed (categorical): woody (2) [sources: NHNSW_2022; Wenk_2022]
stem_growth_habit (categorical): erect (1) [sources: NHNSW_2022]
nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (3) [sources: Meers_2007; White_2020; Williams_2011]
root_structure (categorical): arbuscular_mycorrhizal (2) [sources: Meers_2007; Williams_2011]
parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (1) [sources: White_2020]
pollination_syndrome (categorical): insect (2) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
pollination_system (categorical): biotic_unspecialised (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
dispersal_syndrome (categorical): anemochory (6) [sources: Draper_2023; Hughes_1992; Meers_2007; NSWFRD_2014; White_2020; Williams_2011]
dispersers (categorical): wind (3) [sources: Draper_2023; NSWFRD_2014; White_2020]
flowering_time (categorical): yyynnnnnnnny (1); yyynnnnnnnyy (1); yyyyynnnnnny (1) [sources: Hughes_1992; NHNSW_2014_2; White_2020]
seedbank_location (categorical): soil_seedbank (4) [sources: Doherty_2021; NSWFRD_2014; Pickup_2021]
seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): persistent (3); transient (3) [sources: Cheal_2017; NSWFRD_2014; Pickup_2021; White_2020]
seed_dormancy_class (categorical): non_dormant (1) [sources: Collette_2021]
vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): not_vegetative (2) [sources: Meers_2007; White_2020]
clonal_spread_mechanism (categorical): non_clonal (2) [sources: Meers_2007; Williams_2011]
bud_bank_location (categorical): none (2) [sources: Clarke_2015; Doherty_2021]

nutrient and stable isotope

leaf_N_per_dry_mass (numerical): 18.98 mg/g (18.98-18.98 mg/g) [sources: Westoby_2014]
leaf_P_per_dry_mass (numerical): 1.22 mg/g (1.22-1.22 mg/g) [sources: Westoby_2014]
leaf_delta13C (numerical): -29.93 {delta}[ppth] (-29.93--29.93 {delta}[ppth]) [sources: Westoby_2014]

seed morphology

seed_dry_mass (numerical): 0.06 mg (0.02-0.09 mg) [sources: ANBG_2019; Kew_2019_1; Meers_2007]
seed_length (numerical): 0.8 mm (0.8-0.8 mm) [sources: Jordan_2001]
seed_width (numerical): 0.3 mm (0.3-0.3 mm) [sources: Jordan_2001]

stem morphology

wood_density (numerical): 0.62 mg/mm3 (0.53-0.7 mg/mm3) [sources: Rosell_2014; Staples_2019; Westoby_2014; Wright_2006]
huber_value (numerical): 0 mm2{sapwood}/mm2{leaf} (0-0 mm2{sapwood}/mm2{leaf}) [sources: Westoby_2014; Wright_2006]

whole plant morphology

plant_height (numerical): 2.6 m (1-4 m) [sources: Hughes_1992; McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2023]
plant_physical_defence_structures (categorical): absent (1) [sources: White_2020]

Sources

dataset_id	n_traits	n_records	reference
Westoby_2014	33	39	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.
White_2020	19	19	M. White, S. Sinclair, and D. Frood. Victorian Vital Attributes Database. database. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, 2020.
NHNSW_2023	12	16	N. 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/.
Meers_2007	11	11	T. Meers. “Role of plant functional traits in determining the response of vegetation to land use change on the Delatite Peninsula, Victoria.”. PhD. University of Melbourne, 2007.
Pickup_2021	5	10	M. Pickup and T. McDonald. Bushfire impacts — A national model for assessing local landscape restoration priorities. Project Phoenix Report. Greening Australia, 2021. url: https://www.greeningaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/1.02R2.pdf.
NSWFRD_2014	8	9	B. 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.
Williams_2011	9	9	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.
Rosell_2014	8	8	J. A. Rosell, S. Gleason, R. Mendez-Alonzo, Y. Chang, and M. Westoby. “Bark functional ecology: Evidence for tradeoffs, functional coordination, and environment producing bark diversity”. New Phytologist 201.2 (2014), pp. 486-497. doi: 10.1111/nph.12541.
Jordan_2001	7	7	G. 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.
McGlone_2015	6	6	M. 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.
Wright_2006	4	6	I. J. Wright, D. S. Falster, M. Pickup, and M. Westoby. “Cross-species patterns in the coordination between leaf and stem traits, and their implications for plant hydraulics”. Physiologia Plantarum 127 (2006), pp. 445-456. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-3054.2006.00699.x.
Staples_2019	1	5	T. Staples, J. M. Dwyer, J. R. England, and M. M. Mayfield. “Productivity does not correlate with species and functional diversity in Australian reforestation plantings across a wide climate gradient”. Global Ecology and Biogeography 28.10 (2019), pp. 1417-1429. doi: 10.1111/geb.12962.
Hughes_1992	4	4	L. Hughes and B. Rice. “Unpublished data: Traits data for 643 species, Macquarie University”. 1992.
Kubiak_2009	4	4	P. J. Kubiak. “Fire responses of bushland plants after the January 1994 wildfires in northern Sydney”. Cunninghamia 11.1 (2009), pp. 131-165.
NHNSW_2022	4	4	N. 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_2006	4	4	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.
eFLOWER_Dun_2022	4	4	L. Dun and H. Sauquet. “Unpublished: Floral traits for GAP taxa, University of New South Wales, Australia”. 2022.
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.
Doherty_2021	3	3	M. 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.
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.
Kew_2019_1	1	3	Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
Kew_2019_6	1	2	Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Germination data from the Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
NHNSW_2014_2	2	2	Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. PLantNET: NSW flora online. 2014. url: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/.
Wenk_2022	2	2	E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant growth forms dataset”. 2022.
ANBG_2019	1	1	Australian National Botanic Gardens. The National Seed Bank. 2018. url: http://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/living/seedbank/.
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.
Mokany_2015	1	1	K. 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.
Wenk_2023	1	1	E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant life history dataset, University of New South Wales, Sydney”. 2023.
Yang_2023	1	1	S. Yang. “Unpublished data: Fire response traits scored from national and state floras and the taxonomic literature, University of New South Wales”. 2023.