AusTraits

Digitaria brownii

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Poaceae

Taxonomy: Digitaria brownii (Roem. & Schult.) Hughes

Synonyms: 13 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Digitaria brownei Hughes (orthographic variant)
  • Digitaria brownei var. monostachya Hughes (taxonomic synonym)
  • Digitaria brownii (Roem. & Schult.) Hughes var. brownii (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Digitaria brownii var. monostachya (Benth.) Hughes (taxonomic synonym)
  • Panicum brownei Hughes (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Panicum brownii Roem. & Schult. (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Panicum glareae F.Muell. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Panicum laniflorum Nees (taxonomic synonym)
  • Panicum leucophaeum var. monostachyum Benth. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Panicum leucophoeum var. monostachyum Benth. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Panicum villosum R.Br. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Trichachne brownei Henrard (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Trichachne brownii (Roem. & Schult.) Henrard (nomenclatural synonym)
Misapplied names: 1 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Panicum leucophaeum Kunth (misapplied)

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

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

Traits

Top source datasets: ANBG_2019 (5), Cheal_2017 (7), Crowley_2007 (2), Draper_2023 (3), GrassBase_2014 (6), Jurado_1991 (5), Jurado_1992 (3), Kew_2019_1 (2), Kew_2019_5 (1), Kew_2019_6 (3), Leishman_1992 (7), Metcalfe_2020_2 (14), Moore_2019_2 (55), Munroe_2019 (1), NHNSW_2014 (1), NHNSW_2014_2 (2), NHNSW_2022 (4), NHNSW_2023 (7), Nano_2011 (2), Osborne_2014 (1), RBGV_2022 (4), RBGV_2023 (9), SAH_2014 (1), SAH_2022 (3), SAH_2023 (3), Simpson_2021 (2), Sjostrom_2006 (4), Soliveres_2012 (3), Vesk_2004 (17), WAH_2022_2 (4), WAH_2023_2 (3), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), White_2020 (20), eFLOWER_Dun_2022 (4). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 63 traits from 211 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): fire_killed (1); partial_resprouting (15); resprouts (6) [sources: Cheal_2017; Crowley_2007; Moore_2019_2; Nano_2011; White_2020]
  • post_fire_recruitment (categorical): post_fire_recruitment (1) [sources: Cheal_2017]
flower morphology
  • flower_colour (categorical): blue_purple (1); red_brown (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2]
  • sex_type (categorical): hermaphrodite (2) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2; Sjostrom_2006]
fruit morphology
  • fruit_type (categorical): caryopsis (6) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Sjostrom_2006; WAH_2023_2]
  • fruit_fleshiness (categorical): dry (2) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_dehiscence (categorical): dehiscent (1); indehiscent (2) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2; Sjostrom_2006]
leaf morphology
  • leaf_area (numerical): 350.18 mm2 (148.5-687.51 mm2) [sources: Jurado_1991; Leishman_1992; Metcalfe_2020_2; Moore_2019_2; Vesk_2004]
  • leaf_length (numerical): 75 mm (30-120 mm) [sources: GrassBase_2014; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_width (numerical): 3.67 mm (0.5-7 mm) [sources: GrassBase_2014; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_dry_mass (numerical): 98 mg (87-111 mg) [sources: Moore_2019_2]
  • leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 88.55 g/m2 (25.95-161.55 g/m2) [sources: Moore_2019_2; Vesk_2004]
  • leaf_dry_matter_content (numerical): 0.23 g/g (0.13-0.35 g/g) [sources: Moore_2019_2; Vesk_2004]
  • leaf_shape (categorical): oblong (1) [sources: SAH_2023]
  • leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2]
  • leaf_lamina_posture (categorical): flat (1) [sources: RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_phyllotaxis (categorical): alternate (2) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (3) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023]
life history
  • photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c4 (4) [sources: Moore_2019_2; Munroe_2019; Osborne_2014; White_2020]
  • plant_growth_form (categorical): graminoid (8); herb (4); tussock (3) [sources: Jurado_1991; Leishman_1992; Metcalfe_2020_2; NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; Soliveres_2012; Vesk_2004; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022; White_2020]
  • life_form (categorical): hemicryptophyte (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2]
  • life_history (categorical): perennial (8); short_lived_perennial (1) [sources: Cheal_2017; Leishman_1992; Moore_2019_2; NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; Simpson_2021; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2023]
  • woodiness_detailed (categorical): herbaceous (5) [sources: NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022]
  • stem_growth_habit (categorical): decumbent (1); rhizomatous (3) [sources: Moore_2019_2; NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; WAH_2022_2]
  • nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • root_structure (categorical): non_mycorrhizal (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2]
  • parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • pollination_syndrome (categorical): abiotic (1); self (1); wind (2) [sources: Draper_2023; Metcalfe_2020_2; White_2020]
  • dispersal_syndrome (categorical): anemochory (5); epizoochory (1) [sources: Draper_2023; Jurado_1991; Kew_2019_5; Metcalfe_2020_2; Soliveres_2012; White_2020]
  • dispersers (categorical): mammals (1); wind (2) [sources: Draper_2023; Soliveres_2012; White_2020]
  • flowering_time (categorical): yynnnnnnnnny (1); yyynnnnnnnyy (1); yyyyyyyyyyyy (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014; NHNSW_2014_2; White_2020]
  • seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): persistent (1); widely_dispersed (1) [sources: Cheal_2017; White_2020]
  • vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): not_vegetative (1); vegetative (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2; White_2020]
  • clonal_spread_mechanism (categorical): belowground_clonal (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2]
  • storage_organ (categorical): no_storage_organ (1); rhizome (2) [sources: Leishman_1992; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • bud_bank_location (categorical): basal_stem_buds (2); rhizome (2) [sources: Crowley_2007; Moore_2019_2; Nano_2011; Simpson_2021]
seed morphology
  • seed_dry_mass (numerical): 0.6 mg (0.47-0.65 mg) [sources: Kew_2019_1; Leishman_1992]
  • seed_length (numerical): 5.02 mm (5.02-5.02 mm) [sources: ANBG_2019]
  • seed_width (numerical): 4.54 mm (4.54-4.54 mm) [sources: ANBG_2019]
  • seed_shape (categorical): fusiform (1) [sources: ANBG_2019]
whole plant morphology

Sources

dataset_idn_traitsn_recordsreference
Moore_2019_21255N. A. Moore, J. S. Camac, and J. W. Morgan. “Effects of drought and fire on resprouting capacity of 52 temperate Australian perennial native grasses”. New Phytologist 221.3 (2018), pp. 1424-1433. doi: 10.1111/nph.15480.
White_20202020M. White, S. Sinclair, and D. Frood. Victorian Vital Attributes Database. database. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, 2020.
Vesk_2004517P. A. Vesk, M. R. Leishman, and M. Westoby. “Simple traits do not predict grazing response in Australian dry shrublands and woodlands”. Journal of Applied Ecology 41.1 (2004), pp. 22-31. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2004.00857.x.
Metcalfe_2020_21414D. Metcalfe. “Unpublished data: Traits of Poaceae spp, CSIRO”. 2020.
RBGV_202379VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2023. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
Cheal_201777D. 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.
Leishman_199277M. R. Leishman and M. Westoby. “Classifying plants into groups on the basis of associations of individual traits-Evidence from Australian semi-arid woodlands”. Journal of Ecology 80 (1992), pp. 417-424. doi: 10.2307/2260687.
NHNSW_202367N. 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/.
GrassBase_201436W. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, and K. H. &. H. Williamson. GrassBase - The online world grass flora. 2006. url: http://www.kew.org/data/grasses-db.html.
ANBG_201945Australian National Botanic Gardens. The National Seed Bank. 2018. url: http://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/living/seedbank/.
Jurado_199155E. Jurado. “Diaspore weight, dispersal, growth form and perenniality of central Australian plants”. Journal of Ecology 79 (1991), pp. 811-828.
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/.
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_244Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
eFLOWER_Dun_202244L. Dun and H. Sauquet. “Unpublished: Floral traits for GAP taxa, University of New South Wales, Australia”. 2022.
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.
Kew_2019_613Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Germination data from the Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
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/.
SAH_202333S. 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_201233S. 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_223Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
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_112Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
NHNSW_2014_222Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. PLantNET: NSW flora online. 2014. url: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/.
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.
Simpson_202122K. 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.
Wenk_202222E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant growth forms dataset”. 2022.
Kew_2019_511Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed dispersal data from the Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
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.
NHNSW_201411Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. PLantNET. 2014. url: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/search/simple.htm.
Osborne_201411C. Osborne, A. Salomaa, T. Kluyver, V. Visser, E. Kellogg, O. Morrone, M. Vorontsova, W. Clayton, and D. Simpson. “A global database of C4 photosynthesis in grasses”. New Phytologist 204 (2014), pp. 441-446. doi: 10.1111/nph.12942.
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.
Wenk_202311E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant life history dataset, University of New South Wales, Sydney”. 2023.