AusTraits

Echinopogon ovatus

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Poaceae

Taxonomy: Echinopogon ovatus (G.Forst.) P.Beauv.

Synonyms: 7 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Agrostis ovata G.Forst. (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Alopecurus ovatus (G.Forst.) Kunth (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Cinna ovata (G.Forst.) Kunth (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Echinopogon ovatus (G.Forst.) P.Beauv. var. ovatus (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Echinopogon ovatus var. pubiglumis C.E.Hubb. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Echinopogon sieberi Steud. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Echinopogon virens Gand. (taxonomic synonym)

Distribution (APC): WA, SA, Qld, NSW, LHI, NI, ACT, Vic, Tas

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

Traits

Top source datasets: ABRS_2022 (4), ABRS_2023 (9), Burrows_2008_2 (4), Burrows_2020 (4), Cheal_2017 (5), Doherty_2021 (2), Draper_2023 (2), GrassBase_2014 (8), Jordan_2001 (7), Kew_2019_1 (1), Kew_2019_5 (1), Kew_2019_6 (3), Meers_2007 (11), Metcalfe_2020_2 (13), Moore_2019_2 (55), NHNSW_2014 (1), NHNSW_2014_2 (2), NHNSW_2022 (4), NHNSW_2023 (8), NSWFRD_2014 (10), Osborne_2014 (1), Pickup_2021 (35), RBGV_2022 (4), RBGV_2023 (8), SAH_2014 (1), SAH_2022 (4), SAH_2023 (5), Sjostrom_2006 (4), Soliveres_2012 (3), WAH_2022_2 (12), WAH_2023_2 (9), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), Wheeler_2002 (10), White_2020 (40), Williams_2011 (10), eFLOWER_Dun_2022 (1). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 65 traits from 304 records in 37 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 (23); resprouts (9) [sources: Burrows_2008_2; Burrows_2020; Cheal_2017; Doherty_2021; Meers_2007; Moore_2019_2; NSWFRD_2014; Pickup_2021; White_2020]
  • post_fire_recruitment (categorical): post_fire_recruitment (7) [sources: Pickup_2021]
  • fire_time_from_fire_to_flowering (numerical): 21 mo (21-21 mo) [sources: Burrows_2020]
flower morphology
  • flower_colour (categorical): green (1) [sources: eFLOWER_Dun_2022]
  • sex_type (categorical): hermaphrodite (3); monoecious (1) [sources: Jordan_2001; Metcalfe_2020_2; Sjostrom_2006]
fruit morphology
  • fruit_type (categorical): caryopsis (9) [sources: ABRS_2023; Metcalfe_2020_2; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Sjostrom_2006; WAH_2023_2]
  • fruit_fleshiness (categorical): dry (3) [sources: Jordan_2001; Metcalfe_2020_2; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_dehiscence (categorical): dehiscent (1); indehiscent (2) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2; Sjostrom_2006]
leaf morphology
  • leaf_area (numerical): 454.93 mm2 (169.6-1017.15 mm2) [sources: Meers_2007; Moore_2019_2]
  • leaf_length (numerical): 134.5 mm (15-200 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; GrassBase_2014; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Wheeler_2002]
  • leaf_width (numerical): 6 mm (1-10 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; GrassBase_2014; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; Wheeler_2002]
  • leaf_dry_mass (numerical): 90 mg (50-157 mg) [sources: Moore_2019_2]
  • leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 74.76 g/m2 (35.09-154.32 g/m2) [sources: Meers_2007; Moore_2019_2]
  • leaf_dry_matter_content (numerical): 0.29 g/g (0.26-0.31 g/g) [sources: Moore_2019_2]
  • leaf_shape (categorical): linear (1) [sources: Wheeler_2002]
  • leaf_base_shape (categorical): sheathing (1) [sources: ABRS_2023]
  • leaf_margin (categorical): toothed (1) [sources: SAH_2023]
  • leaf_lobation (categorical): unlobed (1) [sources: Wheeler_2002]
  • leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (2) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2; Wheeler_2002]
  • leaf_lamina_posture (categorical): flat (3) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023]
  • leaf_phyllotaxis (categorical): alternate (3) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (4) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023]
life history
  • photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c3 (4); c4 (2) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2; Moore_2019_2; Osborne_2014; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • plant_growth_form (categorical): graminoid (10); graminoid_not_tussock (2); herb (16); tussock (1) [sources: ABRS_2022; Metcalfe_2020_2; NHNSW_2022; NSWFRD_2014; Pickup_2021; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; Soliveres_2012; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022; Wheeler_2002; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • life_form (categorical): hemicryptophyte (3) [sources: Meers_2007; Metcalfe_2020_2; Williams_2011]
  • life_history (categorical): annual (8); perennial (6); short_lived_perennial (1) [sources: ABRS_2022; Burrows_2008_2; Burrows_2020; Cheal_2017; Jordan_2001; Moore_2019_2; NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2023; Wheeler_2002]
  • woodiness_detailed (categorical): herbaceous (8) [sources: ABRS_2022; NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022]
  • stem_growth_habit (categorical): caespitose (3); erect (2); rhizomatous (4) [sources: ABRS_2022; Moore_2019_2; NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; WAH_2022_2]
  • nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (4) [sources: Meers_2007; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • root_structure (categorical): non_mycorrhizal (3) [sources: Meers_2007; Metcalfe_2020_2; Williams_2011]
  • parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (2) [sources: White_2020]
  • pollination_syndrome (categorical): abiotic (2); self (1); wind (2) [sources: Draper_2023; Metcalfe_2020_2; White_2020]
  • pollination_system (categorical): abiotic (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • dispersal_syndrome (categorical): anemochory (1); epizoochory (7); myrmecochory (1); zoochory (1) [sources: Draper_2023; Kew_2019_5; Meers_2007; Metcalfe_2020_2; NSWFRD_2014; Soliveres_2012; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • dispersers (categorical): ants (1); mammals (2); wind (1) [sources: NSWFRD_2014; Soliveres_2012; White_2020]
  • flowering_time (categorical): nnnnnnnnyyyn (2); ynnnnnnnnyyy (2); ynnnnnnyyyyy (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014; NHNSW_2014_2; NSWFRD_2014; White_2020]
  • seedbank_location (categorical): soil_seedbank (8) [sources: NSWFRD_2014; Pickup_2021]
  • seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): persistent (10) [sources: NSWFRD_2014; Pickup_2021; White_2020]
  • vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): not_vegetative (2); vegetative (3) [sources: Meers_2007; Metcalfe_2020_2; NHNSW_2014_2; White_2020]
  • clonal_spread_mechanism (categorical): rhizome (2) [sources: Meers_2007; Williams_2011]
  • storage_organ (categorical): rhizome (3) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • bud_bank_location (categorical): bud-bearing_root (4); rhizome (1) [sources: Burrows_2008_2; Burrows_2020; Doherty_2021; Moore_2019_2; NSWFRD_2014]
seed morphology
  • seed_dry_mass (numerical): 0.7 mg (0.64-0.75 mg) [sources: Kew_2019_1; Meers_2007]
  • seed_length (numerical): 3.12 mm (2-4 mm) [sources: Jordan_2001; GrassBase_2014]
  • seed_width (numerical): 2 mm (2-2 mm) [sources: Jordan_2001]
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_20202040M. White, S. Sinclair, and D. Frood. Victorian Vital Attributes Database. database. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, 2020.
Pickup_2021535M. 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.
Metcalfe_2020_21313D. Metcalfe. “Unpublished data: Traits of Poaceae spp, CSIRO”. 2020.
WAH_2022_2412Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
Meers_20071111T. 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.
NSWFRD_20141010B. 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.
Wheeler_2002810J. 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_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.
ABRS_202379Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
WAH_2023_229Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
GrassBase_201448W. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, and K. H. &. H. Williamson. GrassBase - The online world grass flora. 2006. url: http://www.kew.org/data/grasses-db.html.
NHNSW_202378N. 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/.
RBGV_202388VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2023. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
Jordan_200177G. 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.
Cheal_201755D. 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.
SAH_202355S. 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_202244Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
Burrows_2008_244N. D. Burrows, G. Wardell-Johnson, and B. Ward. “Post-fire juvenile period of plants in south-west Australia forests and implications for fire management”. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 91 (2008), pp. 163-174. ISSN: 0035922X. url: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/19156 (visited on 03/27/2025).
Burrows_202044N. Burrows. Data from 'Plant Ecological Attributes' theme, NatureMap, DBCA, WA. 2020.
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/.
SAH_202244S. 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_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.
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/.
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.
Doherty_202122M. 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_202322J. 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.
NHNSW_2014_222Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. PLantNET: NSW flora online. 2014. url: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/.
Wenk_202222E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant growth forms dataset”. 2022.
Kew_2019_111Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
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/.
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.
eFLOWER_Dun_202211L. Dun and H. Sauquet. “Unpublished: Floral traits for GAP taxa, University of New South Wales, Australia”. 2022.