AusTraits

Comesperma ericinum

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Polygalaceae

Taxonomy: Comesperma ericinum DC.

Synonyms: 32 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Bredemeyera ericina (DC.) Chodat (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Bredemeyera ericine Chodat (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Comesperma acutifolium Steetz (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma aristulosum (Gand.) Prain (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma coridifolia A.Cunn. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma coridifolium A.Cunn. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma ericifolia Sulman (orthographic variant)
  • Comesperma ericinum DC. f. ericinum (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Comesperma ericinum DC. var. ericinum (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Comesperma ericinum f. A (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma ericinum f. B (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma ericinum f. C (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma ericinum f. aristulosum Gand. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma ericinum f. esulifolium Gand. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma ericinum f. tasmanicum Gand. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma ericinum f. uncinatum Gand. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma ericinum var. acutifolia Hook.f. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma ericinum var. acutifolium (Steetz) Hook.f. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma ericinum var. latifolia Hook.f. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma ericinum var. latifolium (Steetz) Hook.f. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma ericinum var. patentifolium (F.Muell.) Benth. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma esulifolium (Gand.) Pedley (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma esulifolium (Gand.) Prain (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma hispidulum Pedley (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma latifolium Steetz (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma linariaefolium Steetz (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma linarifolium F.Muell. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma linariifolium A.Cunn. ex Steetz (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma patentifolium F.Muell. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma planifolium Hassk. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma tasmanicum (Gand.) Prain (taxonomic synonym)
  • Comesperma uncinatum (Gand.) Prain (taxonomic synonym)

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

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

Traits

Top source datasets: Auld_2000 (4), Cheal_2017 (8), Clarke_2009 (5), Clarke_2015 (5), Collette_2021 (1), Draper_2023 (3), Henery_2001 (3), Hughes_1992 (5), Jordan_2001 (5), Kew_2019_1 (3), Kubiak_2009 (7), McCarthy_2017 (15), McGlone_2015 (6), Mokany_2015 (1), NHNSW_2014_2 (4), NHNSW_2022 (3), NHNSW_2023 (14), NSWFRD_2014 (5), RBGV_2022 (4), RBGV_2023 (17), Sjostrom_2006 (4), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), White_2020 (80), Williams_2011 (10), eFLOWER_Dun_2022 (28). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 84 traits from 243 records in 26 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); partial_resprouting (1); resprouts (6) [sources: Auld_2000; Cheal_2017; Clarke_2015; Kubiak_2009; NSWFRD_2014; White_2020]
  • post_fire_recruitment (categorical): post_fire_recruitment (1); post_fire_recruitment_absent (1) [sources: Cheal_2017; Clarke_2015]
flower morphology
  • flower_colour (categorical): blue_purple (2); pink (2); white_cream (2) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2; eFLOWER_Dun_2022]
  • sex_type (categorical): hermaphrodite (2); monoecious (1) [sources: Jordan_2001; Sjostrom_2006]
fruit morphology
  • fruit_length (numerical): 7.25 mm (7-8 mm) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • fruit_type (categorical): capsule (3) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_fleshiness (categorical): dry (2) [sources: Jordan_2001; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_dehiscence (categorical): dehiscent (1) [sources: Sjostrom_2006]
leaf morphology
  • leaf_area (numerical): 56.29 mm2 (20.05-78.54 mm2) [sources: McCarthy_2017; Mokany_2015]
  • leaf_length (numerical): 13.33 mm (5-25 mm) [sources: McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_width (numerical): 3 mm (1-4 mm) [sources: McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 86.31 g/m2 (63.74-109 g/m2) [sources: McCarthy_2017]
  • leaf_shape (categorical): elliptical (1); linear (1); oblong (2) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_margin (categorical): entire (2) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_margin_posture (categorical): revolute (1) [sources: RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (2) [sources: McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2014_2]
  • leaf_glaucousness (categorical): glaucous (1); not_glaucous (1) [sources: RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_phyllotaxis (categorical): alternate (1) [sources: NHNSW_2023]
  • plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (2) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
life history
  • photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c3 (5) [sources: White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • plant_growth_form (categorical): shrub (12); subshrub (1) [sources: Clarke_2009; Hughes_1992; McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2022; NSWFRD_2014; RBGV_2022; Wenk_2022; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • life_form (categorical): chamaephyte (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • life_history (categorical): perennial (4); short_lived_perennial (1) [sources: Cheal_2017; Jordan_2001; NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; Wenk_2023]
  • woodiness_detailed (categorical): woody (3); woody_base (1) [sources: NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; Wenk_2022]
  • stem_growth_habit (categorical): erect (1); prostrate (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2; RBGV_2022]
  • nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (5) [sources: White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • root_structure (categorical): arbuscular_mycorrhizal (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (4) [sources: White_2020]
  • pollination_syndrome (categorical): insect (5) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
  • pollination_system (categorical): biotic_unspecialised (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • dispersal_syndrome (categorical): anemochory (5); barochory (1); myrmecochory (2) [sources: Draper_2023; Hughes_1992; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • dispersers (categorical): ants (1); passive (1); wind (4) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
  • flowering_time (categorical): nnnnnnnnnyyy (2); nnnnnnnnyyyy (1); yynnnnnnnyyy (4) [sources: Hughes_1992; NHNSW_2014_2; NSWFRD_2014; White_2020]
  • seedbank_location (categorical): soil_seedbank (2) [sources: Clarke_2009]
  • serotiny (categorical): not_serotinous (1) [sources: Hughes_1992]
  • seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): long_persistent (1); persistent (4) [sources: Cheal_2017; White_2020]
  • seed_dormancy_class (categorical): non_dormant (1) [sources: Collette_2021]
  • seed_viability (numerical): 0.89 {count}/{count} (0.89-0.89 {count}/{count}) [sources: Auld_2000]
  • vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): not_vegetative (4) [sources: White_2020]
  • clonal_spread_mechanism (categorical): non_clonal (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • bud_bank_location (categorical): basal_buds (1); basal_stem_buds (1); none (1) [sources: Clarke_2015; NSWFRD_2014]
seed morphology
  • seed_dry_mass (numerical): 1.01 mg (0.93-1.16 mg) [sources: Auld_2000; Henery_2001; Kew_2019_1]
  • seed_length (numerical): 2.5 mm (2-3 mm) [sources: RBGV_2023]
  • seed_shape (categorical): ellipsoid (1) [sources: RBGV_2023]
stem morphology
  • wood_density (numerical): 0.58 mg/mm3 (0.5-0.65 mg/mm3) [sources: McCarthy_2017]
whole plant morphology

Sources

dataset_idn_traitsn_recordsreference
White_20202080M. White, S. Sinclair, and D. Frood. Victorian Vital Attributes Database. database. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, 2020.
eFLOWER_Dun_20221928L. Dun and H. Sauquet. “Unpublished: Floral traits for GAP taxa, University of New South Wales, Australia”. 2022.
RBGV_20231317VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2023. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
McCarthy_2017315J. K. McCarthy, J. M. Dwyer, and K. Mokany. “A regional-scale assessment of using metabolic scaling theory to predict ecosystem properties”. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 286.1915 (2019), p. 20192221. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2221.
NHNSW_20231014N. 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/.
Williams_20111010R. 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_201788D. 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.
Kubiak_200957P. J. Kubiak. “Fire responses of bushland plants after the January 1994 wildfires in northern Sydney”. Cunninghamia 11.1 (2009), pp. 131-165.
McGlone_201566M. 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.
Clarke_200935P. J. Clarke, K. J. E. Knox, M. L. Campbell, and L. M. Copeland. “Post-fire recovery of woody plants in the New England Tableland Bioregion”. Cunninghamia 11 (2009), pp. 221-239. doi: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/4907.
Clarke_201535P. 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.
Hughes_199255L. Hughes and B. Rice. “Unpublished data: Traits data for 643 species, Macquarie University”. 1992.
Jordan_200155G. 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.
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.
Auld_200044T. D. Auld, D. A. Keith, and R. A. Bradstock. “Patterns in longevity of soil seedbanks in fire-prone communities of south-eastern Australia”. Australian Journal of Botany 48.4 (2000), pp. 539-548. doi: 10.1071/bt99046.
NHNSW_2014_244Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. PLantNET: NSW flora online. 2014. url: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/.
RBGV_202244VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2022. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.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.
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.
Henery_200133M. L. Henery and M. Westoby. “Seed mass and seed nutrient content as predictors of seed output variation between species”. Oikos 92 (2001), pp. 479-490. doi: 10.1034/j.1600-0706.2001.920309.x.
Kew_2019_113Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
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/.
Wenk_202222E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant growth forms dataset”. 2022.
Collette_202111J. 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_201511K. 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_202311E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant life history dataset, University of New South Wales, Sydney”. 2023.