AusTraits

Plantago debilis

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Plantaginaceae

Taxonomy: Plantago debilis R.Br.

Synonyms: 3 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Plantago debilis R.Br. var. debilis (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Plantago varia var. debilis (R.Br.) Maiden & Betche (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Plantago varia var. exigua Pilg. (taxonomic synonym)
Misapplied names: 1 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Plantago varia R.Br. (pro parte misapplied)

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

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

Traits

Top source datasets: ABRS_2022 (3), ABRS_2023 (17), Curtis_2012 (14), Doherty_2021 (2), Draper_2023 (3), Dwyer_2017 (17), Gosper_2018 (4), Jordan_2001 (6), Kew_2019_1 (5), Kew_2019_6 (2), Meers_2007 (11), Mesaglio_2022 (2), Mokany_2015 (3), NHNSW_2014_2 (2), NHNSW_2022 (3), NHNSW_2023 (11), NSWFRD_2014 (5), NTH_2022 (4), NTH_2023 (6), Pickup_2021 (15), RBGV_2022 (3), RBGV_2023 (15), Sjostrom_2006 (4), WAH_1998 (1), WAH_2022_2 (3), WAH_2023_2 (2), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), Wheeler_2002 (10), White_2020 (20), Williams_2011 (10), Wright_2000 (10). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 72 traits from 216 records in 32 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 (4); resprouts (3) [sources: Doherty_2021; Meers_2007; NSWFRD_2014; Pickup_2021; White_2020]
  • post_fire_recruitment (categorical): post_fire_recruitment (3) [sources: Pickup_2021]
flower morphology
  • sex_type (categorical): hermaphrodite (2); monoecious (1) [sources: Jordan_2001; Sjostrom_2006]
fruit morphology
  • fruit_length (numerical): 2.4 mm (1.7-3 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • fruit_type (categorical): capsule (6) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023; Sjostrom_2006; Wright_2000]
  • fruit_fleshiness (categorical): dry (3) [sources: Jordan_2001; Sjostrom_2006; Wright_2000]
  • fruit_dehiscence (categorical): dehiscent (2) [sources: Sjostrom_2006; Wright_2000]
leaf morphology
  • leaf_area (numerical): 1964.99 mm2 (412.5-4712.39 mm2) [sources: Curtis_2012; Meers_2007; Mokany_2015]
  • leaf_length (numerical): 74.8 mm (10-150 mm) [sources: Curtis_2012; ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; Wheeler_2002]
  • leaf_width (numerical): 20.16 mm (3-40 mm) [sources: Curtis_2012; ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; Wheeler_2002]
  • leaf_dry_mass (numerical): 69.87 mg (69.87-69.87 mg) [sources: Curtis_2012]
  • petiole_length (numerical): 6.5 cm (1-10 cm) [sources: ABRS_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 39.32 g/m2 (30.26-94.23 g/m2) [sources: Curtis_2012; Dwyer_2017; Meers_2007]
  • leaf_dry_matter_content (numerical): 0.13 g/g (0.13-0.13 g/g) [sources: Curtis_2012]
  • leaf_shape (categorical): elliptical (1); lanceolate (1); narrowly_oblanceolate (3); oblanceolate (1); obovate (3) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023; Wheeler_2002]
  • leaf_base_shape (categorical): attenuate (1) [sources: ABRS_2023]
  • leaf_margin (categorical): entire (3); toothed (3); toothed_dentate (1) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_lobation (categorical): unlobed (1) [sources: Wheeler_2002]
  • leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (4) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2014_2; RBGV_2023; Wheeler_2002]
  • leaf_arrangement (categorical): crowded (1) [sources: ABRS_2023]
  • plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (4) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023]
life history
  • photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c3 (2) [sources: White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • plant_growth_form (categorical): herb (14) [sources: ABRS_2022; Curtis_2012; NHNSW_2022; NSWFRD_2014; NTH_2022; Pickup_2021; RBGV_2022; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022; Wheeler_2002; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • life_form (categorical): hemicryptophyte (3) [sources: Gosper_2018; Meers_2007; Williams_2011]
  • life_history (categorical): annual (4); perennial (10) [sources: ABRS_2022; Curtis_2012; Gosper_2018; Jordan_2001; NHNSW_2022; NTH_2022; RBGV_2022; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2023; Wheeler_2002]
  • woodiness_detailed (categorical): herbaceous (6) [sources: ABRS_2022; NHNSW_2022; NTH_2022; RBGV_2022; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022]
  • stem_growth_habit (categorical): rosette (3) [sources: ABRS_2023; NTH_2022; NTH_2023]
  • nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (3) [sources: Meers_2007; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • root_structure (categorical): arbuscular_mycorrhizal (2) [sources: Meers_2007; Williams_2011]
  • parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • pollination_syndrome (categorical): abiotic (1); wind (1) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
  • pollination_system (categorical): abiotic (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • dispersal_syndrome (categorical): barochory (2); endozoochory (1); epizoochory (1) [sources: Draper_2023; Meers_2007; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • dispersers (categorical): birds (1); vertebrates (1) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
  • flowering_time (categorical): nnnnnnnnnnnn (1); nnnnnnnnnynn (1); nnnnnnnyyyyy (1); nnnyynnnnnnn (1); yyyyyyyyyyyy (2) [sources: Mesaglio_2022; NHNSW_2014_2; NSWFRD_2014; WAH_1998; White_2020]
  • seedbank_location (categorical): canopy_seedbank_absent (1); soil_seedbank (4) [sources: Gosper_2018; NSWFRD_2014; Pickup_2021]
  • serotiny (categorical): not_serotinous (1) [sources: Gosper_2018]
  • seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): persistent (5) [sources: NSWFRD_2014; Pickup_2021; White_2020]
  • vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): not_vegetative (2) [sources: Meers_2007; White_2020]
  • clonal_spread_mechanism (categorical): non_clonal (2) [sources: Meers_2007; Williams_2011]
  • bud_bank_location (categorical): bud-bearing_root (1) [sources: Doherty_2021]
seed morphology
  • seed_dry_mass (numerical): 0.33 mg (0.12-0.53 mg) [sources: Dwyer_2017; Kew_2019_1; Meers_2007; Mokany_2015]
  • seed_length (numerical): 1.57 mm (1-2.2 mm) [sources: Jordan_2001; ABRS_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • seed_width (numerical): 1 mm (1-1 mm) [sources: Jordan_2001]
  • seed_shape (categorical): ellipsoid (1) [sources: RBGV_2023]
whole plant morphology

Sources

dataset_idn_traitsn_recordsreference
White_20202020M. White, S. Sinclair, and D. Frood. Victorian Vital Attributes Database. database. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, 2020.
ABRS_20231317Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
Dwyer_2017317J. M. Dwyer and D. C. Laughlin. “Constraints on trait combinations explain climatic drivers of biodiversity: The importance of trait covariance in community assembly”. Ecology Letters 20.7 (2017), pp. 872-882. doi: 10.1111/ele.12781.
Pickup_2021515M. 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.
RBGV_20231215VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2023. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
Curtis_20121414E. M. Curtis, A. Leigh, and S. Rayburg. “Relationships among leaf traits of Australian arid zone plants: alternative modes of thermal protection”. Australian Journal of Botany 60.6 (2012), pp. 471-483. doi: 10.1071/bt11284.
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.
NHNSW_2023811N. 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/.
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.
Wright_20001010I. 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.
Jordan_200166G. 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.
NTH_202366D. 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/.
Kew_2019_115Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
NSWFRD_201455B. 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.
Gosper_201844C. R. Gosper, C. J. Yates, G. D. Cook, J. M. Harvey, A. C. Liedloff, W. L. McCaw, K. R. Thiele, and S. M. Prober. “A conceptual model of vegetation dynamics for the unique obligate-seeder eucalypt woodlands of south-western Australia”. Austral Ecology 43.6 (2018), pp. 681-695. doi: 10.1111/aec.12613.
NTH_202244D. 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/.
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.
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.
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.
Mokany_201533K. 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_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/.
RBGV_202233VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2022. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
WAH_2022_233Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
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.
Kew_2019_612Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Germination data from the Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
Mesaglio_202212T. Mesaglio. “Unpublished data: Comprehensive biodiversity survey of Wategora Reserve and Everley Park along Duck River, western Sydney”. 2022. doi: 10.32942/X29886.
NHNSW_2014_222Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. PLantNET: NSW flora online. 2014. url: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.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.
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.