AusTraits

Polyscias sambucifolia

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Araliaceae

Taxonomy: Polyscias sambucifolia (Sieber ex DC.) Harms

Synonyms: 7 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Nothopanax sambucifolia (Sieber ex DC.) K.Koch (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Nothopanax sambucifolium Domin (taxonomic synonym)
  • Panax angustifolium Domin (taxonomic synonym)
  • Panax sambucifolium DC. (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Panax sambucifolius Sieber ex DC. (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Polyscias sambucifolius Harms (orthographic variant)
  • Tieghemopanax sambucifolius (Sieber ex DC.) R.Vig. (nomenclatural synonym)

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

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

Traits

Top source datasets: Baker_2019 (2), Benwell_2024 (4), Carey_2003 (3), Cheal_2017 (7), Clarke_2015 (3), Cooper_2013 (12), Doherty_2021 (2), Fonseca_2000 (5), Gallagher_2018 (20), Hughes_1992 (4), Kew_2019_5 (1), Kooyman_2011 (13), Kubiak_2009 (7), Leishman_1993 (1), Leishman_1995 (6), McGlone_2015 (6), Munroe_2019 (1), NHNSW_2014_2 (5), NHNSW_2024 (7), NSWFRD_2014 (15), Niinemets_2009 (50), Pickup_2021 (20), RBGV_2022 (3), RBGV_2023 (7), Sjostrom_2006 (3), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), White_2020 (20), Williams_2011 (7), Wright_2006 (5), Wright_2009 (26), Zieminska_2015 (36), eFLOWER_Dun_2022 (13). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 121 traits from 317 records in 33 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 (4); resprouts (8) [sources: Baker_2019; Benwell_2024; Carey_2003; Cheal_2017; Clarke_2015; Doherty_2021; Kubiak_2009; NSWFRD_2014; Pickup_2021; White_2020]
  • post_fire_recruitment (categorical): post_fire_recruitment (7); post_fire_recruitment_absent (3) [sources: Benwell_2024; Carey_2003; Cheal_2017; Clarke_2015; NSWFRD_2014; Pickup_2021]
flower morphology
  • flower_colour (categorical): blue_purple (1); green (1); white_cream (1); yellow_orange (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2]
fruit morphology
  • fruit_length (numerical): 4.5 mm (4-6 mm) [sources: Cooper_2013; NHNSW_2024]
  • fruit_width (numerical): 4 mm (4-4 mm) [sources: NHNSW_2024]
  • fruit_type (categorical): drupe (2); follicle (1) [sources: Cooper_2013; RBGV_2023; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_fleshiness (categorical): dry (1); fleshy (2) [sources: Cooper_2013; Leishman_1995; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_dehiscence (categorical): dehiscent (1); indehiscent (1) [sources: Cooper_2013; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_colour (categorical): blue (2); purple (1) [sources: NHNSW_2024; RBGV_2023]
leaf morphology
  • leaf_area (numerical): 1276.79 mm2 (244.46-2495 mm2) [sources: Fonseca_2000; Gallagher_2018; Niinemets_2009; Wright_2006]
  • leaf_length (numerical): 132.5 mm (40-200 mm) [sources: McGlone_2015; Kooyman_2011]
  • leaf_width (numerical): 75.9 mm (17.7-170 mm) [sources: Fonseca_2000; McGlone_2015; Kooyman_2011]
  • leaf_dry_mass (numerical): 36.51 mg (21.75-44 mg) [sources: Fonseca_2000; Gallagher_2018]
  • petiole_length (numerical): 2.5 cm (2.5-2.5 cm) [sources: NHNSW_2024]
  • leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 105.46 g/m2 (75.14-161.29 g/m2) [sources: Fonseca_2000; Gallagher_2018; Leishman_1995; Niinemets_2009; Wright_2006; Zieminska_2015]
  • leaf_type (categorical): broadleaf (1) [sources: NHNSW_2024]
  • leaf_lobation (categorical): unlobed (1) [sources: Kooyman_2011]
  • leaf_compoundness (categorical): compound (4) [sources: Kooyman_2011; McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2014_2; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_glaucousness (categorical): glaucous (1); not_glaucous (1) [sources: RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_phyllotaxis (categorical): alternate (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2]
  • leaf_arrangement (categorical): clustered (1) [sources: RBGV_2023]
  • plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (2) [sources: NHNSW_2024; RBGV_2023]
life history
  • photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c3 (3) [sources: Munroe_2019; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • plant_growth_form (categorical): shrub (13); tree (4) [sources: Cooper_2013; Fonseca_2000; Hughes_1992; Kooyman_2011; Leishman_1995; McGlone_2015; NSWFRD_2014; Pickup_2021; RBGV_2022; Wenk_2022; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • life_form (categorical): phanerophyte (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • life_history (categorical): perennial (3) [sources: Cheal_2017; RBGV_2022; Wenk_2023]
  • woodiness_detailed (categorical): woody (2) [sources: RBGV_2022; Wenk_2022]
  • leaf_phenology (categorical): evergreen (1) [sources: Kooyman_2011]
  • nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • pollination_syndrome (categorical): insect (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • pollination_system (categorical): biotic_unspecialised (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • dispersal_syndrome (categorical): endozoochory (3); epizoochory (1); zoochory (2) [sources: Hughes_1992; Kew_2019_5; Leishman_1995; NSWFRD_2014; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • dispersers (categorical): birds (2); vertebrates (2) [sources: Leishman_1995; NSWFRD_2014; White_2020]
  • flowering_time (categorical): ynnnnnnnnnny (1); ynnnnnnnnnyy (1); yynnnnnnnnny (1); yynnnnnnnnyy (2) [sources: Cooper_2013; Hughes_1992; NHNSW_2014_2; NSWFRD_2014; White_2020]
  • seedbank_location (categorical): soil_seedbank (6) [sources: Benwell_2024; NSWFRD_2014; Pickup_2021]
  • seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): persistent (6); widely_dispersed (1) [sources: Cheal_2017; NSWFRD_2014; Pickup_2021; White_2020]
  • vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): vegetative (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • clonal_spread_mechanism (categorical): non_clonal (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • storage_organ (categorical): lignotuber (1) [sources: NSWFRD_2014]
  • bud_bank_location (categorical): basal_buds (2); basal_stem_buds (2); bud-bearing_root (1); epicormic_buds (1) [sources: Baker_2019; Carey_2003; Clarke_2015; Doherty_2021; NSWFRD_2014]
nutrient and stable isotope
  • leaf_N_per_dry_mass (numerical): 12.38 mg/g (10.6-13.7 mg/g) [sources: Gallagher_2018; Niinemets_2009]
  • leaf_P_per_dry_mass (numerical): 0.53 mg/g (0.39-0.74 mg/g) [sources: Gallagher_2018; Niinemets_2009]
  • leaf_delta13C (numerical): -29.01 {delta}[ppth] (-29.02--29 {delta}[ppth]) [sources: Niinemets_2009]
physiology
seed morphology
  • seed_dry_mass (numerical): 3.7 mg (3.7-3.7 mg) [sources: Leishman_1993; Leishman_1995]
  • seed_length (numerical): 2 mm (2-2 mm) [sources: Cooper_2013; Kooyman_2011]
  • seed_width (numerical): 1.5 mm (1-2 mm) [sources: Kooyman_2011]
stem morphology
  • wood_density (numerical): 0.54 mg/mm3 (0.46-0.58 mg/mm3) [sources: Wright_2006; Zieminska_2015]
  • huber_value (numerical): 0 mm2{sapwood}/mm2{leaf} (0-0 mm2{sapwood}/mm2{leaf}) [sources: Wright_2006; Zieminska_2015]
  • stem_vessel_density (numerical): 730.7 {count}/mm2 (643.53-883.63 {count}/mm2) [sources: Zieminska_2015]
  • stem_vessel_diameter (numerical): 19.21 um (17.81-21.69 um) [sources: Zieminska_2015]
  • stem_vessel_lumen_fraction (numerical): 0.21 mm2/mm2 (0.17-0.25 mm2/mm2) [sources: Zieminska_2015]
whole plant morphology

Sources

dataset_idn_traitsn_recordsreference
Niinemets_20092650Ü. Niinemets, I. J. Wright, and J. R. Evans. “Leaf mesophyll diffusion conductance in 35 Australian sclerophylls covering a broad range of foliage structural and physiological variation”. Journal of Experimental Botany 60 (2009), pp. 2433-2449. doi: 10.1093/jxb/erp045.
Zieminska_20151236K. Ziemińska, M. Westoby, and I. J. Wright. “Broad anatomical variation within a narrow wood density range - A study of twig wood across 69 Australian Angiosperms”. PLOS ONE 10.4 (2015), p. e0124892. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124892.
Wright_20091326I. J. Wright. “Unpublished data: Leaf pigment and reflectance data for sclerophylls, Macquarie University”. 2009.
Gallagher_2018520R. Gallagher, A. Phillips, B. Laugier-Kitchener, C. Laws, D. Lanceman, D. M. Londono, E. McFarlane, J. Foster, K. Marais, L. Pollitt, L. Kovac, M. Lambert, S. Amini, T. Boreham, T. Pyne, H. McPherson, M. Rossetto, M. van der Merwe, I. Wright, and and Matthew Alfonzetti. “Unpublished data: Trait campaign with the Royal Botanical Gardens, Macquarie University”. 2018.
Pickup_2021520M. 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.
White_20202020M. White, S. Sinclair, and D. Frood. Victorian Vital Attributes Database. database. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, 2020.
NSWFRD_20141315B. 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.
Kooyman_2011913R. Kooyman, M. Rossetto, W. Cornwell, and M. Westoby. “Phylogenetic tests of community assembly across regional to continental scales in tropical and subtropical rain forests”. Global Ecology and Biogeography 20 (2011), pp. 707-716. doi: 10.1111/j.1466-8238.2010.00641.x.
eFLOWER_Dun_2022913L. Dun and H. Sauquet. “Unpublished: Floral traits for GAP taxa, University of New South Wales, Australia”. 2022.
Cooper_20131012W. Cooper and W. T. Cooper. Australian rainforest fruits. CSIRO Publishing, 2013, p. 272.
Cheal_201777D. 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.
Kubiak_200947P. J. Kubiak. “Fire responses of bushland plants after the January 1994 wildfires in northern Sydney”. Cunninghamia 11.1 (2009), pp. 131-165.
NHNSW_202477N. H. of New South Wales. The Plant Information Network System of The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust Version 2.0.. accessed on December, 2023.. 2024. url: https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/.
RBGV_202377VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2023. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
Williams_201177R. 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.
Leishman_199566M. R. Leishman, M. Westoby, and E. Jurado. “Correlates of seed size variation: A comparison among five temperate floras”. Journal of Ecology 83 (1995), pp. 517-529. doi: 10.2307/2261604.
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.
Fonseca_200055C. R. Fonseca, J. M. Overton, B. Collins, and M. Westoby. “Shifts in trait-combinations along rainfall and phosphorus gradients”. Journal of Ecology 88 (2000), pp. 964-977. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2745.2000.00506.x.
NHNSW_2014_255Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. PLantNET: NSW flora online. 2014. url: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/.
Wright_200645I. J. Wright, D. S. Falster, M. Pickup, and M. Westoby. “Cross-species patterns in the coordination between leaf and stem traits, and their implications for plant hydraulics”. Physiologia Plantarum 127 (2006), pp. 445-456. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-3054.2006.00699.x.
Benwell_202444A. Benwell. “Fire responses of flora in a sclerophyll-rainforest vegetation complex in the Nightcap Range, North Coast, New South Wales”. Australian Journal of Botany 72.1 (2024). Ed. by D. Williams. ISSN: 1444-9862. doi: 10.1071/bt23049.
Hughes_199244L. Hughes and B. Rice. “Unpublished data: Traits data for 643 species, Macquarie University”. 1992.
Carey_200333A. C. &. M. E. &. P. H. &. M. L. &. T. M. &. P. O. &. S. S. &. D. S. &. N. Webb. Wildfires in the ACT 2003: Report on Initial Impacts on Natural Ecosystems. Technical Report No. 17. Environment ACT, 2003. url: https://www.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/2539593/17-wildfires-in-the-act-report-on-initial-impacts-on-natural-ecosystems-2003.pdf.
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.
RBGV_202233VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2022. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
Sjostrom_200633A. 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.
Baker_201922A. Baker. “Unpublished data: Post-fire fire-response surveys on the NSW north coast, Southern Cross University”. 2019.
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.
Wenk_202222E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant growth forms dataset”. 2022.
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/.
Leishman_199311M. Leishman. “Unpublished data: Seed mass data for Sydney species, Macquarie University”. 1990.
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.
Wenk_202311E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant life history dataset, University of New South Wales, Sydney”. 2023.