Ptilotus modestus

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Amaranthaceae

Taxonomy: Ptilotus modestus T.Hammer

Synonyms: 6 (APC 2026-07-30)

Hemisteirus psilotrichodes F.Muell. (taxonomic synonym)
Ptilotus gaudichaudii subsp. parviflorus (Benth.) Lally (nomenclatural synonym)
Ptilotus gaudichaudii var. parviflorus (Benth.) Benl (nomenclatural synonym)
Ptilotus hemisteirus F.Muell. (nomenclatural synonym)
Trichinium corymbosum var. parviflora Benth. (nomenclatural synonym)
Trichinium corymbosum var. parviflorum Benth. (nomenclatural synonym)

Misapplied names: 1 (APC 2026-07-30)

Ptilotus gaudichaudii (Steud.) J.M.Black (pro parte misapplied)

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

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

Traits

Top source datasets: Draper_2023 (3), Gosper_2018 (4), NHNSW_2024 (10), SAH_2014 (2), SAH_2022 (3), SAH_2023 (3), WAH_2022_2 (4), WAH_2023_2 (2), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), White_2020 (19). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 32 traits from 53 records in 11 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 (1) [sources: White_2020]

leaf morphology

leaf_length (numerical): 17.5 mm (5-25 mm) [sources: NHNSW_2024; SAH_2014]
leaf_width (numerical): 3.25 mm (1-6 mm) [sources: NHNSW_2024; SAH_2014]
leaf_type (categorical): broadleaf (1) [sources: NHNSW_2024]
leaf_shape (categorical): linear (1); narrowly_oblanceolate (1); oblanceolate (1) [sources: NHNSW_2024]
plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (2) [sources: NHNSW_2024; SAH_2023]

life history

photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c3 (1) [sources: White_2020]
plant_growth_form (categorical): herb (4) [sources: SAH_2022; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022; White_2020]
life_form (categorical): therophyte (1) [sources: Gosper_2018]
life_history (categorical): annual (4) [sources: Gosper_2018; SAH_2022; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2023]
woodiness_detailed (categorical): herbaceous (3) [sources: SAH_2022; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022]
stem_growth_habit (categorical): decumbent (1); erect (1) [sources: WAH_2022_2]
nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (1) [sources: White_2020]
parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (1) [sources: White_2020]
pollination_syndrome (categorical): insect (1); wind (1) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
dispersal_syndrome (categorical): anemochory (1); epizoochory (1) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
dispersers (categorical): mammals (1); wind (1) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
flowering_time (categorical): nnnyyyyyyynn (1) [sources: White_2020]
seedbank_location (categorical): canopy_seedbank_absent (1) [sources: Gosper_2018]
serotiny (categorical): not_serotinous (1) [sources: Gosper_2018]
seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): persistent (1) [sources: White_2020]
vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): not_vegetative (1) [sources: White_2020]

seed morphology

seed_shape (categorical): lenticular (1) [sources: SAH_2023]

whole plant morphology

plant_height (numerical): 0.3 m (0.1-0.4 m) [sources: NHNSW_2024; SAH_2023; WAH_2023_2]
plant_physical_defence_structures (categorical): absent (1) [sources: White_2020]

Sources

dataset_id	n_traits	n_records	reference
White_2020	19	19	M. White, S. Sinclair, and D. Frood. Victorian Vital Attributes Database. database. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, 2020.
NHNSW_2024	6	10	N. 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/.
Gosper_2018	4	4	C. 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.
WAH_2022_2	4	4	Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
Draper_2023	3	3	J. 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.
SAH_2022	3	3	S. 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/.
SAH_2023	3	3	S. 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/.
SAH_2014	2	2	J. 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.
WAH_2023_2	1	2	Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
Wenk_2022	2	2	E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant growth forms dataset”. 2022.
Wenk_2023	1	1	E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant life history dataset, University of New South Wales, Sydney”. 2023.