Leptospermum scoparium

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Family Myrtaceae

Taxonomy: Leptospermum scoparium J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.

Synonyms: 24 (APC 2026-07-30)

Leptospermum aff. continentale (taxonomic synonym)
Leptospermum nichollii Dorr.Sm. (taxonomic synonym)
Leptospermum nichollsii Dorr.Sm. (taxonomic synonym)
Leptospermum scoparium J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. f. scoparium (nomenclatural synonym)
Leptospermum scoparium J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. var. scoparium (nomenclatural synonym)
Leptospermum scoparium var. eximium B.L.Burtt (taxonomic synonym)
Leptospermum scoparium var. forsteri S.Schauer (taxonomic synonym)
Leptospermum scoparium var. linifolium DC. (taxonomic synonym)
Leptospermum scoparium var. linifolium Dum.Cours. (taxonomic synonym)
Leptospermum scoparium var. linifolium W.T.Aiton (taxonomic synonym)
Leptospermum scoparium var. myrtifolium (Sol. ex Aiton) W.T.Aiton (taxonomic synonym)
Leptospermum scoparium var. nichollii Turrill (taxonomic synonym)
Leptospermum scoparium var. nichollsii (Dorr.Sm.) Turrill (taxonomic synonym)
Leptospermum scoparium var. nicholsii A.D.Chapm. (taxonomic synonym)
Leptospermum scoparium var. scoparia Hook.f. (nomenclatural synonym)
Melaleuca scoparia (J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.) G.Forst. (nomenclatural synonym)
Melaleuca scoparia (J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.) L.f. (nomenclatural synonym)
Melaleuca scoparia (J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.) L.f. var. scoparia (nomenclatural synonym)
Melaleuca scoparia var. diosmatifolia Schrad. & J.C.Wendl. (taxonomic synonym)
Melaleuca scoparia var. myrtifolia (Sol. ex Aiton) Schrad. & J.C.Wendl. (taxonomic synonym)
Philadelphus scoparius (J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.) Aiton (nomenclatural synonym)
Philadelphus scoparius (J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.) Aiton var. scoparius (nomenclatural synonym)
Philadelphus scoparius var. linifolius Aiton (taxonomic synonym)
Philadelphus scoparius var. myrtifolius Sol. ex Aiton (taxonomic synonym)

Distribution (APC): NSW, Vic, Tas

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

Traits

Top source datasets: Cheal_2017 (8), Clarke_2015 (3), Collette_2021 (1), Jordan_2001 (6), Kew_2019_1 (12), Kew_2019_6 (6), McGlone_2015 (6), Mokany_2015 (3), NHNSW_2014_2 (3), NHNSW_2022 (3), NHNSW_2023 (18), NSWFRD_2014 (5), Nicholson_2017 (7), RBGV_2022 (4), RBGV_2023 (22), Sjostrom_2006 (3), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), Westoby_2014 (32), White_2020 (40), Wright_2000 (6), Zieminska_2013 (30). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 103 traits from 221 records in 22 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 (2); partial_resprouting (1); resprouts (3) [sources: Cheal_2017; Clarke_2015; NSWFRD_2014; Nicholson_2017; White_2020]
post_fire_recruitment (categorical): post_fire_recruitment (2) [sources: Cheal_2017; Clarke_2015]

flower morphology

flower_colour (categorical): pink (1); white_cream (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2]
sex_type (categorical): hermaphrodite (1); monoecious (1) [sources: Jordan_2001]

fruit morphology

fruit_width (numerical): 7.75 mm (6-10 mm) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
fruit_height (numerical): 7.75 mm (6-10 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 (3) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; Sjostrom_2006]

leaf morphology

leaf_area (numerical): 66.78 mm2 (12.6-120.95 mm2) [sources: Mokany_2015; Westoby_2014]
leaf_length (numerical): 15.83 mm (7-22 mm) [sources: McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
leaf_width (numerical): 5.17 mm (2-7 mm) [sources: McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 107.5 g/m2 (107.5-107.5 g/m2) [sources: Westoby_2014]
leaf_shape (categorical): narrowly_elliptical (1); narrowly_ovate (1); orbicular (1) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
leaf_base_shape (categorical): attenuate (1) [sources: NHNSW_2023]
leaf_margin (categorical): entire (1); toothed_dentate (1) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
leaf_margin_posture (categorical): flat (1); involute (2) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (3) [sources: McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
leaf_lamina_posture (categorical): flat (1) [sources: RBGV_2023]
leaf_phyllotaxis (categorical): alternate (2) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (2) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]

life history

photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c3 (2) [sources: White_2020]
plant_growth_form (categorical): shrub (7); tree (2) [sources: McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2022; NSWFRD_2014; RBGV_2022; Wenk_2022; White_2020]
life_history (categorical): perennial (5) [sources: Cheal_2017; Jordan_2001; NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; Wenk_2023]
woodiness_detailed (categorical): woody (3) [sources: NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; Wenk_2022]
stem_growth_habit (categorical): erect (1); prostrate (2) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2; RBGV_2022]
nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (2) [sources: White_2020]
parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (2) [sources: White_2020]
pollination_syndrome (categorical): insect (2) [sources: White_2020]
dispersal_syndrome (categorical): anemochory (2) [sources: White_2020]
dispersers (categorical): wind (2) [sources: White_2020]
flowering_time (categorical): yynnnnnnnyyy (2); yynnnnnnyyyy (1); yyynnnnnyyyy (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2; NSWFRD_2014; White_2020]
seedbank_location (categorical): canopy_seedbank (1) [sources: NSWFRD_2014]
seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): long_persistent (1); transient (2) [sources: Cheal_2017; White_2020]
seed_dormancy_class (categorical): non_dormant (1) [sources: Collette_2021]
vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): not_vegetative (2) [sources: White_2020]
bud_bank_location (categorical): basal_stem_buds (1) [sources: Clarke_2015]

nutrient and stable isotope

leaf_N_per_dry_mass (numerical): 12.82 mg/g (12.82-12.82 mg/g) [sources: Westoby_2014]
leaf_P_per_dry_mass (numerical): 0.6 mg/g (0.6-0.6 mg/g) [sources: Westoby_2014]
leaf_delta13C (numerical): -26.42 {delta}[ppth] (-26.42--26.42 {delta}[ppth]) [sources: Westoby_2014]

seed morphology

seed_dry_mass (numerical): 0.11 mg (0.07-0.5 mg) [sources: Kew_2019_1; Mokany_2015]
seed_length (numerical): 2.55 mm (2-3.5 mm) [sources: Jordan_2001; RBGV_2023]
seed_width (numerical): 0.31 mm (0.31-0.31 mm) [sources: Jordan_2001]
seed_shape (categorical): ovoid (1) [sources: RBGV_2023]

stem morphology

wood_density (numerical): 0.74 mg/mm3 (0.71-0.79 mg/mm3) [sources: Zieminska_2013]
huber_value (numerical): 0 mm2{sapwood}/mm2{leaf} (0-0 mm2{sapwood}/mm2{leaf}) [sources: Westoby_2014]
stem_vessel_density (numerical): 296.19 {count}/mm2 (264.43-313.62 {count}/mm2) [sources: Zieminska_2013]
stem_vessel_diameter (numerical): 24.84 um (23.22-26.77 um) [sources: Zieminska_2013]
stem_vessel_lumen_fraction (numerical): 0.14 mm2/mm2 (0.13-0.15 mm2/mm2) [sources: Zieminska_2013]

whole plant morphology

plant_height (numerical): 4.25 m (2-5 m) [sources: McGlone_2015; Mokany_2015; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
plant_physical_defence_structures (categorical): sharp_pointed_defence (2) [sources: White_2020]

Sources

dataset_id	n_traits	n_records	reference
White_2020	20	40	M. White, S. Sinclair, and D. Frood. Victorian Vital Attributes Database. database. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, 2020.
Westoby_2014	32	32	S. M. Gleason, D. W. Butler, K. Zieminska, P. Waryszak, and M. Westoby. “Stem xylem conductivity is key to plant water balance across Australian angiosperm species”. Functional Ecology 26 (2012), pp. 343-352. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2012.01962.x.
Zieminska_2013	10	30	K. Ziemińska, D. W. Butler, S. M. Gleason, I. J. Wright, and M. Westoby. “Fibre wall and lumen fractions drive wood density variation across 24 Australian angiosperms”. AoB PLANTS 5 (2013), p. plt046. doi: 10.1093/aobpla/plt046.
RBGV_2023	17	22	VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2023. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
NHNSW_2023	14	18	N. 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/.
Kew_2019_1	1	12	Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
Cheal_2017	8	8	D. 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.
Nicholson_2017	2	7	A. Nicholson, L. D. Prior, G. L. W. Perry, and D. M. J. S. Bowman. “High post-fire mortality of resprouting woody plants in Tasmanian Mediterranean-type vegetation”. International Journal of Wildland Fire 26 (2017), pp. 532-537. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/WF16211.
Jordan_2001	6	6	G. 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.
Kew_2019_6	1	6	Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Germination data from the Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
McGlone_2015	6	6	M. 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.
Wright_2000	6	6	I. J. Wright, H. T. Clifford, R. Kidson, M. L. Reed, B. L. Rice, and M. Westoby. “A survey of seed and seedling characters in 1744 Australian dicotyledon species: Cross-species trait correlations and correlated trait-shifts within evolutionary lineages”. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 69 (2000), pp. 521-547. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2000.tb01222.x.
NSWFRD_2014	5	5	B. 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.
RBGV_2022	4	4	VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2022. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
Clarke_2015	3	3	P. 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.
Mokany_2015	3	3	K. 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.
NHNSW_2014_2	3	3	Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. PLantNET: NSW flora online. 2014. url: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/.
NHNSW_2022	3	3	N. 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/.
Sjostrom_2006	3	3	A. 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.
Wenk_2022	2	2	E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant growth forms dataset”. 2022.
Collette_2021	1	1	J. 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.
Wenk_2023	1	1	E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant life history dataset, University of New South Wales, Sydney”. 2023.