AusTraits

Lythrum salicaria

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Lythraceae

Taxonomy: Lythrum salicaria L.

Synonyms: 17 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Lythrum gracile DC. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Lythrum intermedium Fisch. ex Colla (taxonomic synonym)
  • Lythrum salicaria f. glabrum (Ledeb.) Koehne (taxonomic synonym)
  • Lythrum salicaria f. latius Koehne (taxonomic synonym)
  • Lythrum salicaria f. longistylum Mert. & W.D.J.Koch (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Lythrum salicaria subvar. genuinum Koehne (taxonomic synonym)
  • Lythrum salicaria subvar. glabricaule Koehne (taxonomic synonym)
  • Lythrum salicaria subvar. gracile (DC.) Koehne (taxonomic synonym)
  • Lythrum salicaria subvar. gracilius (Turcz.) Koehne (taxonomic synonym)
  • Lythrum salicaria subvar. oblongum Koehne (taxonomic synonym)
  • Lythrum salicaria var. genuinum Gren. & Godr. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Lythrum salicaria var. glabrum Ledeb. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Lythrum salicaria var. gracilior Turcz. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Lythrum salicaria var. intermedium (Fisch. ex Colla) Koehne (taxonomic synonym)
  • Lythrum salicaria var. tomentosum (DC.) DC. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Lythrum salicaria var. vulgare DC. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Lythrum tomentosum DC. (taxonomic synonym)

Distribution (APC): SA, Qld, NSW, ACT, Vic (native and naturalised), Tas

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

Traits

Top source datasets: ABRS_1981 (1), ABRS_2022 (4), ABRS_2023 (11), Chen_2017 (4), Draper_2023 (3), Jordan_2001 (4), Kew_2019_1 (18), Kew_2019_2 (1), Kew_2019_4 (1), Kew_2019_5 (1), Kew_2019_6 (7), Mokany_2015 (1), NHNSW_2014_2 (2), NHNSW_2022 (4), NHNSW_2023 (15), RBGV_2022 (4), RBGV_2023 (12), SAH_2014 (1), SAH_2022 (4), SAH_2023 (9), Sjostrom_2006 (4), TMAG_2009 (14), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), White_2020 (18), Williams_2011 (11), Wright_2000 (5), eFLOWER_2021 (27), eFLOWER_Dun_2022 (39). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 88 traits from 228 records in 29 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
flower morphology
  • flower_colour (categorical): blue_purple (1); pink (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2]
  • flower_diameter (numerical): 1.5 cm (1.5-1.5 cm) [sources: eFLOWER_Dun_2022]
  • sex_type (categorical): hermaphrodite (2); monoecious (1) [sources: Jordan_2001; Sjostrom_2006]
fruit morphology
  • fruit_length (numerical): 3.5 mm (3-4 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023]
  • fruit_type (categorical): capsule (6) [sources: ABRS_2023; Chen_2017; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_fleshiness (categorical): dry (3) [sources: Chen_2017; Jordan_2001; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_dehiscence (categorical): dehiscent (6) [sources: ABRS_2023; Chen_2017; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Sjostrom_2006]
leaf morphology
  • leaf_area (numerical): 1261.39 mm2 (1261.39-1261.39 mm2) [sources: Mokany_2015]
  • leaf_length (numerical): 43.7 mm (15-70 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; TMAG_2009]
  • leaf_width (numerical): 8.25 mm (3-15 mm) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 60.98 g/m2 (60.98-60.98 g/m2) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • leaf_shape (categorical): lanceolate (3); narrowly_ovate (4); oblong (3); ovate (1) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; TMAG_2009]
  • leaf_base_shape (categorical): auriculate (2); cordate (1); rounded (2) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023]
  • leaf_margin (categorical): entire (2) [sources: NHNSW_2023; SAH_2023]
  • leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (5) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; TMAG_2009]
  • leaf_phyllotaxis (categorical): alternate (2); opposite (4); whorled (4) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023]
  • plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (4) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023]
life history
  • photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c3 (2) [sources: White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • plant_growth_form (categorical): herb (8) [sources: ABRS_2022; NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; TMAG_2009; Wenk_2022; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • life_form (categorical): hemicryptophyte (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • life_history (categorical): annual (1); perennial (6) [sources: ABRS_2022; Jordan_2001; NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; TMAG_2009; Wenk_2023]
  • woodiness_detailed (categorical): herbaceous (5) [sources: ABRS_2022; NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; Wenk_2022]
  • stem_growth_habit (categorical): erect (4); rhizomatous (1) [sources: ABRS_2022; NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022]
  • nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (2) [sources: White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • root_structure (categorical): arbuscular_mycorrhizal (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • pollination_syndrome (categorical): insect (2) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
  • pollination_system (categorical): biotic_unspecialised (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • dispersal_syndrome (categorical): anemochory (2); epizoochory (1); hydrochory (1) [sources: Draper_2023; Kew_2019_5; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • dispersers (categorical): birds (1); wind (1) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
  • flowering_time (categorical): yynnnnnnyyyy (1); yyynnnnnnnnn (1); yyyynnnnyyyy (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2; TMAG_2009; White_2020]
  • seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): persistent (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): vegetative (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • clonal_spread_mechanism (categorical): non_clonal (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • storage_organ (categorical): rhizome (1) [sources: NHNSW_2023]
seed morphology
  • seed_dry_mass (numerical): 0.05 mg (0.02-0.25 mg) [sources: Kew_2019_1; Williams_2011]
  • seed_length (numerical): 0.01 mm (0.01-0.01 mm) [sources: TMAG_2009]
  • seed_width (numerical): 0.01 mm (0.01-0.01 mm) [sources: TMAG_2009]
whole plant morphology

Sources

dataset_idn_traitsn_recordsreference
eFLOWER_Dun_20222939L. Dun and H. Sauquet. “Unpublished: Floral traits for GAP taxa, University of New South Wales, Australia”. 2022.
eFLOWER_20212527J. Schönenberger, M. Balthazar, A. L. Martinez, B. Albert, C. Prieu, S. Magallon, and H. Sauquet. “Phylogenetic analysis of fossil flowers using an angiosperm-wide data set: proof-of-concept and challenges ahead”. American Journal of Botany 107.10 (2020), pp. 1433-1448. doi: 10.1002/ajb2.1538.
Kew_2019_1118Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
White_20201818M. White, S. Sinclair, and D. Frood. Victorian Vital Attributes Database. database. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, 2020.
NHNSW_20231215N. 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/.
TMAG_20091114Tasmanian Herbarium. Flora of Tasmania Online. 2009. url: http://www.tmag.tas.gov.au/floratasmania.
RBGV_2023912VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2023. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
ABRS_2023911Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
Williams_20111111R. 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.
SAH_202389S. 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/.
Kew_2019_617Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Germination data from the Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
Wright_200055I. 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.
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.
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.
Jordan_200144G. 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.
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.
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_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.
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/.
Kew_2019_211Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
Kew_2019_411Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Oil content data from 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/.
Mokany_201511K. 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.
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.