AusTraits

Exocarpos sparteus

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Santalaceae

Taxonomy: Exocarpos sparteus R.Br.

Synonyms: 15 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Exocarpos glandulaceus Miq. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Exocarpos pendulus F.Muell. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Exocarpos spartea R.Br. (orthographic variant)
  • Exocarpos sparteus R.Br. f. sparteus (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Exocarpos sparteus f. gracilis Miq. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Exocarpos sparteus f. tenerior Miq. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Exocarpos spicatus A.DC. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Exocarpus glandulacea Miq. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Exocarpus pendula F.Muell. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Exocarpus spartea Miq. (orthographic variant)
  • Exocarpus spartea f. gracilis Miq. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Exocarpus spartea f. tenerior Miq. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Exocarpus sparteus J.M.Black (orthographic variant)
  • Exocarpus spicata A.DC. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Xylophyllos sparteus (R.Br.) Kuntze (nomenclatural synonym)

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

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

Traits

Top source datasets: ABRS_1981 (1), ABRS_2022 (3), ABRS_2023 (10), Barrett_2009 (9), Burrows_2008_2 (5), Burrows_2020 (5), Cheal_2017 (8), Chen_2017 (4), Clarke_2015 (3), Collette_2021 (1), Crowley_2007 (2), Draper_2023 (3), Gosper_2012 (6), Kew_2019_1 (1), McGlone_2015 (6), Munroe_2019 (1), NHNSW_2014_2 (4), NHNSW_2022 (3), NHNSW_2023 (12), NSWFRD_2014 (4), NTH_2022 (3), NTH_2023 (10), Nano_2011 (4), RBGV_2022 (3), RBGV_2023 (12), RussellSmith_2012 (4), SAH_2022 (3), SAH_2023 (14), Sjostrom_2006 (4), Staples_2019 (80), Sweedman_2006 (4), Tsakalos_2020 (16), WAH_1998 (1), WAH_2022_2 (4), WAH_2023_2 (2), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), Wheeler_2002 (10), White_2020 (20), Yang_2023 (1). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 63 traits from 289 records in 40 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 (6) [sources: Barrett_2009; Burrows_2008_2; Burrows_2020; Cheal_2017; Clarke_2015; Crowley_2007; Gosper_2012; NSWFRD_2014; Nano_2011; RussellSmith_2012; Tsakalos_2020; White_2020]
  • post_fire_recruitment (categorical): post_fire_recruitment (5); post_fire_recruitment_absent (1) [sources: Barrett_2009; Cheal_2017; Clarke_2015; Nano_2011; Yang_2023]
  • fire_time_from_fire_to_flowering (numerical): 18 mo (18-18 mo) [sources: Burrows_2020]
flower morphology
  • flower_colour (categorical): green (1); pink (1); red_brown (1); yellow_orange (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2]
  • sex_type (categorical): hermaphrodite (1) [sources: Sjostrom_2006]
fruit morphology
  • fruit_length (numerical): 4.06 mm (3-5 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023]
  • fruit_width (numerical): 4.25 mm (3.5-5 mm) [sources: SAH_2023]
  • fruit_height (numerical): 4.25 mm (3.5-5 mm) [sources: SAH_2023]
  • fruit_type (categorical): drupe (5) [sources: ABRS_2023; Chen_2017; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_fleshiness (categorical): dry (1); fleshy (2) [sources: Chen_2017; Sjostrom_2006; Tsakalos_2020]
  • fruit_dehiscence (categorical): indehiscent (3) [sources: Chen_2017; NTH_2023; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_colour (categorical): black (3); brown (3); orange (3); red (4) [sources: NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023]
leaf morphology
  • leaf_area (numerical): 290.17 mm2 (70.26-804.33 mm2) [sources: Staples_2019]
  • leaf_length (numerical): 7.04 mm (1.5-20 mm) [sources: McGlone_2015; ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Wheeler_2002]
  • leaf_width (numerical): 1.12 mm (0.5-2 mm) [sources: McGlone_2015; NTH_2023; Wheeler_2002]
  • leaf_dry_mass (numerical): 84.52 mg (18.2-222.3 mg) [sources: Staples_2019]
  • leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 286.52 g/m2 (196.53-370.47 g/m2) [sources: Staples_2019]
  • leaf_shape (categorical): lanceolate (1); linear (4); narrowly_oblong (1); strap-shaped (1); subulate (1) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Wheeler_2002]
  • leaf_margin (categorical): entire (5) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_lobation (categorical): unlobed (1) [sources: Wheeler_2002]
  • leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (6) [sources: ABRS_2023; McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2014_2; RBGV_2023; Tsakalos_2020; Wheeler_2002]
  • leaf_lamina_posture (categorical): recurved (1) [sources: NHNSW_2023]
  • leaf_glaucousness (categorical): not_glaucous (2) [sources: Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_hairs_adult_leaves (categorical): glabrous (1) [sources: Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_phyllotaxis (categorical): alternate (3) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): cladode (6); leaf (1) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Tsakalos_2020]
life history
  • photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c3 (3) [sources: Munroe_2019; Tsakalos_2020; White_2020]
  • plant_growth_form (categorical): shrub (14); tree (4) [sources: ABRS_2022; Barrett_2009; Gosper_2012; McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2022; NSWFRD_2014; NTH_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022; Wheeler_2002; White_2020]
  • life_history (categorical): perennial (12) [sources: ABRS_2022; Burrows_2008_2; Burrows_2020; Cheal_2017; NHNSW_2022; NTH_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; Tsakalos_2020; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2023; Wheeler_2002]
  • woodiness_detailed (categorical): woody (8) [sources: ABRS_2022; NHNSW_2022; NTH_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; Tsakalos_2020; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022]
  • stem_growth_habit (categorical): decumbent (1); erect (1) [sources: Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_phenology (categorical): evergreen (1) [sources: ABRS_1981]
  • nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • parasitic (categorical): hemiparasitic (1); parasitic (1); root_parasitic (1) [sources: Tsakalos_2020; WAH_2022_2; White_2020]
  • pollination_syndrome (categorical): insect (2) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
  • reproductive_maturity (numerical): 1.5 a (1.5-1.5 a) [sources: Burrows_2020]
  • dispersal_syndrome (categorical): endozoochory (2) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
  • dispersers (categorical): birds (1); vertebrates (1) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
  • flowering_time (categorical): nnyyynnnyyyn (1); nyyyyyyyyynn (1); yyyyynnnyyyy (1); yyyyyyyyyyyy (2) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2; NSWFRD_2014; Tsakalos_2020; WAH_1998; White_2020]
  • seedbank_location (categorical): canopy_seedbank_absent (1); soil_seedbank (6) [sources: Barrett_2009; Burrows_2008_2; Burrows_2020; Gosper_2012; NSWFRD_2014]
  • serotiny (categorical): not_serotinous (1) [sources: Gosper_2012]
  • seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): long_persistent (1); transient (2) [sources: Cheal_2017; RussellSmith_2012; White_2020]
  • seed_dormancy_class (categorical): morphophysiological_dormancy (1) [sources: Collette_2021]
  • vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): vegetative (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • bud_bank_location (categorical): bud-bearing_root (2); none (2); rhizome (2) [sources: Burrows_2008_2; Clarke_2015; Crowley_2007; Nano_2011]
seed morphology
  • seed_dry_mass (numerical): 51.54 mg (51.54-51.54 mg) [sources: Kew_2019_1]
stem morphology
  • wood_density (numerical): 0.58 mg/mm3 (0.54-0.59 mg/mm3) [sources: Staples_2019]
whole plant morphology
  • plant_height (numerical): 4.09 m (1-6 m) [sources: ABRS_2023; McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; WAH_2023_2; Wheeler_2002]
  • plant_physical_defence_structures (categorical): absent (2) [sources: Tsakalos_2020; White_2020]

Sources

dataset_idn_traitsn_recordsreference
Staples_2019480T. 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.
White_20202020M. White, S. Sinclair, and D. Frood. Victorian Vital Attributes Database. database. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, 2020.
Tsakalos_20201516J. 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.
SAH_2023914S. 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/.
NHNSW_2023912N. 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_20231012VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2023. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.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.
NTH_2023810D. 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/.
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.
Barrett_200949S. Barrett, S. Comer, N. McQuoid, M. Porter, C. Tiller, and D. Utber. Identification and Conservation of Fire Sensitive Ecosystems and Species of the South Coast Natural Resource Management Region.. government. Department of Conservation and Land Management, South Coast Region, Western Australia, 2009.
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.
Gosper_201266C. R. Gosper, C. J. Yates, and S. M. Prober. “Changes in plant species and functional composition with time since fire in two mediterranean climate plant communities”. Journal of Vegetation Science 23.6 (2012), pp. 1071-1081. doi: 10.1111/j.1654-1103.2012.01434.x.
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.
Burrows_2008_255N. 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_202055N. Burrows. Data from 'Plant Ecological Attributes' theme, NatureMap, DBCA, WA. 2020.
Chen_201744Chen, S.-C., Cornwell, W., Z. H.-X., Moles, and A. T. “Plants show more flesh in the tropics: Variation in fruit type along latitudinal and climatic gradients.”. Ecography 40 (2017), pp. 531-538. doi: abs/10.1111/ecog.02010.
NHNSW_2014_244Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. PLantNET: NSW flora online. 2014. url: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/.
NSWFRD_201444B. 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.
Nano_201134C. 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.
RussellSmith_201244J. Russell-Smith, M. R. Gardener, C. Brock, K. Brennan, C. P. Yates, and B. Grace. “Fire persistence traits can be used to predict vegetation response to changing fire regimes at expansive landscape scales - an Australian example”. Journal of Biogeography 39 (2012), pp. 1657-1668. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2012.02714.x.
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.
Sweedman_200624L. Sweedman and D. Merritt. Australian Seeds: A Guide to Their Collection, Identification, and Biology. CSIRO Publishing, 2006. ISBN: 9780643094079.
WAH_2022_244Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
ABRS_202233Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
Clarke_201533P. 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.
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.
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/.
NTH_202233D. 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_202233VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2022. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
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/.
Crowley_200722G. Crowley, M. Gardener, and M. Marrinan. Tropical savannas fire response database. 2007. url: [www.landmanager.org.au](www.landmanager.org.au).
WAH_2023_212Western 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.
ABRS_198111B. A. Barlow, H. T. Clifford, A. S. George, and A. K. A. McCusker. Flora of Australia. 1981. url: http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/online-resources/flora/main/.
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.
Kew_2019_111Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. 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.
WAH_199811Western Australian Herbarium. FloraBase: The Western Australian flora. 1998. url: http://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au.
Wenk_202311E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant life history dataset, University of New South Wales, Sydney”. 2023.
Yang_202311S. Yang. “Unpublished data: Fire response traits scored from national and state floras and the taxonomic literature, University of New South Wales”. 2023.