AusTraits

Ptilotus macrocephalus

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Amaranthaceae

Taxonomy: Ptilotus macrocephalus (R.Br.) Poir.

Synonyms: 4 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Ptilotus pachocephalus (Moq.) F.Muell. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Trichinium angustifolium Moq. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Trichinium macrocephalum R.Br. (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Trichinium pachocephalum Moq. (taxonomic synonym)
Misapplied names: 1 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Trichinium fusiforme R.Br. (misapplied)

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

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

Traits

Top source datasets: ANBG_2019 (5), Cheal_2017 (4), Clarke_2015 (3), Crowley_2007 (2), Draper_2023 (3), Islam_1999_1 (5), Jurado_1991 (6), Kew_2019_1 (4), Kew_2019_5 (1), Kew_2019_6 (4), Morgan_2011_1 (5), Morgan_2011_2 (1), Munroe_2019 (1), NHNSW_2014_2 (9), NHNSW_2024 (8), NSWFRD_2014 (4), RBGV_2022 (3), RBGV_2023 (10), RussellSmith_2012 (4), SAH_2014 (3), SAH_2022 (3), SAH_2023 (5), Sjostrom_2006 (4), Sweedman_2006 (4), WAH_1998 (1), WAH_2022_1 (4), WAH_2022_2 (4), WAH_2023_1 (6), WAH_2023_2 (2), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), White_2020 (20), Williams_2005 (4), Williams_2011 (11). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 65 traits from 156 records in 34 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 (3); resprouts (3) [sources: Cheal_2017; Clarke_2015; Crowley_2007; NSWFRD_2014; RussellSmith_2012; White_2020]
  • post_fire_recruitment (categorical): post_fire_recruitment (1) [sources: Clarke_2015]
flower morphology
  • flower_colour (categorical): green (1); yellow_orange (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2]
  • sex_type (categorical): hermaphrodite (1) [sources: Sjostrom_2006]
fruit morphology
  • fruit_type (categorical): nut (1); utricle (1) [sources: RBGV_2023; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_fleshiness (categorical): dry (1) [sources: Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_dehiscence (categorical): indehiscent (1) [sources: Sjostrom_2006]
leaf morphology
  • leaf_area (numerical): 150 mm2 (150-150 mm2) [sources: Jurado_1991]
  • leaf_length (numerical): 78.67 mm (10-160 mm) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2; NHNSW_2024; RBGV_2023; SAH_2014; WAH_2023_1]
  • leaf_width (numerical): 7.3 mm (1-15 mm) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2; NHNSW_2024; RBGV_2023; SAH_2014; WAH_2023_1]
  • leaf_type (categorical): broadleaf (1) [sources: NHNSW_2024]
  • leaf_shape (categorical): linear (3); narrowly_lanceolate (2); narrowly_obovate (1) [sources: NHNSW_2024; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023]
  • leaf_margin (categorical): entire (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2]
  • leaf_margin_posture (categorical): undulate (1) [sources: NHNSW_2024]
  • leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2]
  • leaf_lamina_posture (categorical): undulate (1) [sources: NHNSW_2024]
  • leaf_phyllotaxis (categorical): alternate (2) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2; WAH_2023_1]
  • leaf_arrangement (categorical): crowded (2) [sources: RBGV_2023; SAH_2023]
  • plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (4) [sources: NHNSW_2024; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; WAH_2023_1]
life history
  • photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c3 (2); c4 (1) [sources: Munroe_2019; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • plant_growth_form (categorical): herb (9) [sources: Jurado_1991; NSWFRD_2014; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; WAH_2022_1; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • life_form (categorical): hemicryptophyte (3) [sources: Morgan_2011_1; Williams_2005; Williams_2011]
  • life_history (categorical): annual (4); perennial (4) [sources: Morgan_2011_1; SAH_2022; WAH_2022_1; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2023; Williams_2005]
  • woodiness_detailed (categorical): herbaceous (5); woody_root (2) [sources: RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; WAH_2022_1; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022]
  • stem_growth_habit (categorical): decumbent (1); erect (3) [sources: RBGV_2022; WAH_2022_1; WAH_2022_2]
  • nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (2) [sources: White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • root_structure (categorical): non_mycorrhizal (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • pollination_syndrome (categorical): insect (1); wind (1) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
  • pollination_system (categorical): biotic_unspecialised (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • dispersal_syndrome (categorical): anemochory (6); epizoochory (1) [sources: Draper_2023; Jurado_1991; Kew_2019_5; Morgan_2011_1; White_2020; Williams_2005; Williams_2011]
  • dispersers (categorical): mammals (1); wind (1) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
  • flowering_time (categorical): nnnyyyyyyynn (1); yynnnnnnnyyy (1) [sources: WAH_1998; White_2020]
  • seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): persistent (2) [sources: RussellSmith_2012; White_2020]
  • vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): not_vegetative (3) [sources: Morgan_2011_1; White_2020; Williams_2005]
  • clonal_spread_mechanism (categorical): non_clonal (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • bud_bank_location (categorical): none (2) [sources: Clarke_2015; Crowley_2007]
nutrient and stable isotope
seed morphology
  • seed_dry_mass (numerical): 2.16 mg (0.81-7.35 mg) [sources: ANBG_2019; Jurado_1991; Kew_2019_1; Morgan_2011_2; Williams_2011]
  • seed_length (numerical): 1.58 mm (1.58-1.58 mm) [sources: ANBG_2019]
  • seed_width (numerical): 1.04 mm (1.04-1.04 mm) [sources: ANBG_2019]
  • seed_shape (categorical): lenticular (1); ovoid (1) [sources: ANBG_2019; SAH_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.
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.
RBGV_2023810VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2023. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
NHNSW_2014_279Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. PLantNET: NSW flora online. 2014. url: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/.
NHNSW_202488N. 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/.
Jurado_199166E. Jurado. “Diaspore weight, dispersal, growth form and perenniality of central Australian plants”. Journal of Ecology 79 (1991), pp. 811-828.
WAH_2023_146Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
ANBG_201955Australian National Botanic Gardens. The National Seed Bank. 2018. url: http://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/living/seedbank/.
Islam_1999_155M. Islam, D. W. Turner, and M. A. Adams. “Phosphorus availability and the growth, mineral composition and nutritive value of ephemeral forbs and associated perennials from the Pilbara, Western Australia”. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 39 (1999), pp. 149-159. doi: 10.1071/EA98133.
Morgan_2011_155J. Morgan. “Unpublished data: Grassy woodland traits, La Trobe University”. 2011.
SAH_202355S. 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/.
Cheal_201744D. 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.
Kew_2019_114Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
Kew_2019_614Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Germination data from the Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
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.
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_144Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
WAH_2022_244Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
Williams_200544N. S. G. Williams, J. W. Morgan, M. J. McDonnell, and M. A. McCarthy. “Plant traits and local extinctions in natural grasslands along an urban-rural gradient”. Journal of Ecology 93.6 (2005), pp. 1203-1213. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2745.2005.01039.x.
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.
RBGV_202233VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2022. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
SAH_201433J. 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.
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.
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/.
Morgan_2011_211J. Morgan. “Unpublished data: Trait database, La Trobe University”. 2011.
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.