AusTraits

Cynodon dactylon

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Poaceae

Taxonomy: Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.

Synonyms: 1 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Panicum dactylon L. (nomenclatural synonym)

Distribution (APC): WA (naturalised), CoI (naturalised), ChI (naturalised), NT (naturalised), SA (native and naturalised), Qld, CSI (naturalised), NSW (native and naturalised), LHI (naturalised), NI (naturalised), ACT (naturalised), Vic (native and naturalised), Tas (naturalised)

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

Traits

Top source datasets: ABRS_2022 (4), ABRS_2023 (10), ATRP_2020 (3), Catford_2014 (10), Cheal_2017 (1), Crowley_2007 (2), Draper_2023 (3), Jurado_1991 (6), Jurado_1992 (3), Kew_2019_1 (14), Kew_2019_3 (2), Kew_2019_5 (2), Kew_2019_6 (8), Munroe_2019 (1), NHNSW_2014_2 (5), NHNSW_2022 (4), NHNSW_2023 (11), NSWFRD_2014 (3), NTH_2022 (4), NTH_2023 (12), Nano_2011 (2), RBGV_2022 (4), RBGV_2023 (8), SAH_2022 (3), SAH_2023 (2), Schmidt_1993 (1), Simpson_2021 (3), Sjostrom_2006 (4), Soliveres_2012 (2), Standish_2019 (6), Tsakalos_2020 (18), WAH_2022_1 (4), WAH_2022_2 (4), WAH_2023_1 (2), WAH_2023_2 (4), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), White_2020 (20), Williams_2011 (10), Yang_2023 (2), eFLOWER_Dun_2022 (7). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 61 traits from 217 records in 41 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 (1); resprouts (7) [sources: Crowley_2007; NSWFRD_2014; Nano_2011; Simpson_2021; Standish_2019; Tsakalos_2020; White_2020; Yang_2023]
flower morphology
  • flower_colour (categorical): blue_purple (2); green (2) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2; eFLOWER_Dun_2022]
  • sex_type (categorical): hermaphrodite (1) [sources: Sjostrom_2006]
fruit morphology
  • fruit_type (categorical): caryopsis (8) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Sjostrom_2006; WAH_2023_1; WAH_2023_2]
  • fruit_fleshiness (categorical): dry (2) [sources: Sjostrom_2006; Tsakalos_2020]
  • fruit_dehiscence (categorical): indehiscent (1) [sources: Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_colour (categorical): brown (1) [sources: NTH_2023]
leaf morphology
  • leaf_area (numerical): 68.77 mm2 (52.53-85 mm2) [sources: Catford_2014; Jurado_1991]
  • leaf_length (numerical): 85.62 mm (10-150 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_width (numerical): 2.44 mm (0.5-4 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 107.87 g/m2 (107.87-107.87 g/m2) [sources: Catford_2014]
  • leaf_shape (categorical): linear (2); narrowly_triangular (2) [sources: NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023]
  • leaf_base_shape (categorical): sheathing (1) [sources: ABRS_2023]
  • leaf_margin (categorical): entire (2) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2; Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (2) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2; Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_lamina_posture (categorical): conduplicate (3); flat (5); involute (1) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023; Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_glaucousness (categorical): glaucous (1); not_glaucous (3) [sources: RBGV_2023; Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_hairs_adult_leaves (categorical): glabrous (1) [sources: Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_phyllotaxis (categorical): alternate (3) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (6) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Tsakalos_2020]
life history
  • photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c4 (5) [sources: Kew_2019_3; Munroe_2019; Tsakalos_2020; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • plant_growth_form (categorical): graminoid (12); graminoid_not_tussock (1); herb (7) [sources: ABRS_2022; Catford_2014; Jurado_1991; NHNSW_2022; NSWFRD_2014; NTH_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; Soliveres_2012; Standish_2019; WAH_2022_1; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • life_form (categorical): geophyte (1); hemicryptophyte (1) [sources: Cheal_2017; Williams_2011]
  • life_history (categorical): perennial (13) [sources: ABRS_2022; ATRP_2020; Catford_2014; NHNSW_2022; NTH_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; Simpson_2021; Standish_2019; Tsakalos_2020; WAH_2022_1; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2023]
  • woodiness_detailed (categorical): herbaceous (9) [sources: ABRS_2022; NHNSW_2022; NTH_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; Tsakalos_2020; WAH_2022_1; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022]
  • stem_growth_habit (categorical): decumbent (1); erect (1); mat-forming (2); prostrate (3); rhizomatous (6); sprawling (1); spreading (1); stoloniferous (6) [sources: ABRS_2022; ATRP_2020; Catford_2014; NHNSW_2022; NTH_2022; RBGV_2022; Tsakalos_2020; WAH_2022_1; WAH_2022_2]
  • nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (3) [sources: Standish_2019; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • root_structure (categorical): arbuscular_mycorrhizal (4) [sources: Schmidt_1993; Standish_2019; Tsakalos_2020; Williams_2011]
  • parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (2) [sources: Tsakalos_2020; White_2020]
  • pollination_syndrome (categorical): abiotic (1); self (1); wind (1) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
  • pollination_system (categorical): abiotic (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • dispersal_syndrome (categorical): anemochory (3); barochory (4); zoochory (2) [sources: Catford_2014; Draper_2023; Jurado_1991; Kew_2019_5; Soliveres_2012; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • dispersers (categorical): abiotic (1); animals (1); invertebrates (1) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
  • flowering_time (categorical): ynnnyyyyyyyy (1); yynnnnnnnnny (1); yyyyyyyyyyyy (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2; Tsakalos_2020; White_2020]
  • seedbank_location (categorical): soil_seedbank (1) [sources: Standish_2019]
  • seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): transient (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): vegetative (3) [sources: Catford_2014; NHNSW_2014_2; White_2020]
  • clonal_spread_mechanism (categorical): rhizome (1); stolon (2) [sources: ATRP_2020; Williams_2011]
  • storage_organ (categorical): rhizome (6) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023; WAH_2023_1; WAH_2023_2]
  • bud_bank_location (categorical): basal_stem_buds (2); bud-bearing_root (2); rhizome (5); stolon (1) [sources: Crowley_2007; NSWFRD_2014; Nano_2011; Simpson_2021; Yang_2023]
seed morphology
  • seed_dry_mass (numerical): 0.24 mg (0.06-0.32 mg) [sources: Catford_2014; Jurado_1991; Kew_2019_1]
  • seed_length (numerical): 1 mm (1-1 mm) [sources: NTH_2023]
whole plant morphology

Sources

dataset_idn_traitsn_recordsreference
White_20202020M. White, S. Sinclair, and D. Frood. Victorian Vital Attributes Database. database. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, 2020.
Tsakalos_20201718J. 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.
Kew_2019_1114Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
NTH_20231012D. 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/.
NHNSW_2023911N. 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/.
ABRS_2023810Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
Catford_20141010J. A. Catford, W. K. Morris, P. A. Vesk, C. J. Gippel, and B. J. Downes. “Species and environmental characteristics point to flow regulation and drought as drivers of riparian plant invasion”. Diversity and Distributions 20 (2014), pp. 1084-1096. doi: 10.1111/ddi.12225.
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.
Kew_2019_618Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Germination data from the Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
RBGV_202388VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2023. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
eFLOWER_Dun_202267L. Dun and H. Sauquet. “Unpublished: Floral traits for GAP taxa, University of New South Wales, Australia”. 2022.
Jurado_199166E. Jurado. “Diaspore weight, dispersal, growth form and perenniality of central Australian plants”. Journal of Ecology 79 (1991), pp. 811-828.
Standish_201966R. Standish. “Unpublished data: Jarrah forest, Murdoch University”. 2019.
NHNSW_2014_255Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. PLantNET: NSW flora online. 2014. url: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/.
ABRS_202244Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
NHNSW_202244N. 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/.
NTH_202244D. 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/.
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.
WAH_2022_144Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
WAH_2022_244Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
WAH_2023_234Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
ATRP_202033F. 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.
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.
Jurado_199213E. Jurado and M. Westoby. “Germination biology of selected central Australian plants”. Austral Ecology 17.3 (1992), pp. 341-348. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-9993.1992.tb00816.x.
NSWFRD_201433B. 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.
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/.
Simpson_202133K. J. Simpson, E. C. Jardine, S. Archibald, E. J. Forrestel, C. E. R. Lehmann, G. H. Thomas, and C. P. Osborne. “Resprouting grasses are associated with less frequent fire than seeders”. New Phytologist 230 (2021), pp. 832-844. doi: 10.1111/nph.17069.
Crowley_200722G. Crowley, M. Gardener, and M. Marrinan. Tropical savannas fire response database. 2007. url: [www.landmanager.org.au](www.landmanager.org.au).
Kew_2019_322Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Salt and water tolerance data from the Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
Kew_2019_512Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed dispersal data from the Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
Nano_201122C. 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.
SAH_202322S. 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/.
Soliveres_201222S. Soliveres, D. J. Eldridge, F. Hemmings, and F. T. Maestre. “Nurse plant effects on plant species richness in drylands: The role of grazing, rainfall and species specificity”. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 14 (2012), pp. 402-410. doi: 10.1016/j.ppees.2012.09.003.
WAH_2023_122Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
Wenk_202222E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant growth forms dataset”. 2022.
Yang_202322S. Yang. “Unpublished data: Fire response traits scored from national and state floras and the taxonomic literature, University of New South Wales”. 2023.
Cheal_201711D. 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.
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.
Schmidt_199311S. Schmidt. “Unpublished data: Compilation of mycorrhizal status data, University of Queensland”. 1993.
Wenk_202311E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant life history dataset, University of New South Wales, Sydney”. 2023.