AusTraits

Ptilotus polystachyus

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Family Amaranthaceae

Taxonomy: Ptilotus polystachyus (Gaudich.) F.Muell.

Synonyms: 21 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Ptilotus alopecuroides F.Muell. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Ptilotus alopecuroideus (Lindl.) F.Muell. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Ptilotus alopecuroideus (Lindl.) F.Muell. f. alopecuroideus (taxonomic synonym)
  • Ptilotus alopecuroideus (Lindl.) F.Muell. var. alopecuroideus (taxonomic synonym)
  • Ptilotus alopecuroideus f. rubriflorus (J.M.Black) Benl (taxonomic synonym)
  • Ptilotus alopecuroideus var. rubriflorum J.M.Black (taxonomic synonym)
  • Ptilotus alopecuroideus var. rubriflorus J.M.Black (taxonomic synonym)
  • Ptilotus polystachyus (Gaudich.) F.Muell. f. polystachyus (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Ptilotus polystachyus (Gaudich.) F.Muell. var. polystachyus (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Ptilotus polystachyus f. arthrotrichus Benl (taxonomic synonym)
  • Ptilotus polystachyus f. ruber Benl (taxonomic synonym)
  • Ptilotus polystachyus f. rubriflorus (J.M.Black) Benl (taxonomic synonym)
  • Ptilotus polystachyus var. arthrotrichus Benl (taxonomic synonym)
  • Trichinium alopecuroideum Lindl. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Trichinium alopecuroideum Lindl. var. alopecuroideum (taxonomic synonym)
  • Trichinium alopecuroideum var. rubriflorum J.M.Black (taxonomic synonym)
  • Trichinium candicans Nees (taxonomic synonym)
  • Trichinium conicum Lindl. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Trichinium pallidum Moq. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Trichinium polystachyum Gaudich. (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Trichinium preissii Nees (taxonomic synonym)

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

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

Traits

Top source datasets: ANBG_2019 (2), Burrows_2008_2 (5), Burrows_2020 (5), Crowley_2007 (2), Curtis_2012 (14), Draper_2023 (3), Funk_2016 (113), Kew_2019_1 (2), Kew_2019_6 (3), Leishman_1992 (7), Moles_2003 (4), Munroe_2019 (1), NHNSW_2014_2 (9), NHNSW_2024 (9), NTH_2022 (4), NTH_2023 (14), Nano_2011 (2), RBGV_2022 (3), RBGV_2023 (10), SAH_2014 (2), SAH_2022 (3), SAH_2023 (8), Schmidt_1993 (1), Sjostrom_2006 (4), Sweedman_2006 (4), Tsakalos_2020 (15), Tsakalos_2022 (2), WAH_1998 (1), WAH_2022_1 (4), WAH_2022_2 (12), WAH_2023_1 (8), WAH_2023_2 (6), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), White_2020 (57), Wright_2000 (5). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 84 traits from 347 records in 36 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): green (1); yellow_orange (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2]
  • sex_type (categorical): hermaphrodite (1) [sources: Sjostrom_2006]
fruit morphology
  • fruit_length (numerical): 2 mm (1.5-2.5 mm) [sources: NTH_2023]
  • fruit_width (numerical): 1.15 mm (0.8-1.5 mm) [sources: NTH_2023]
  • fruit_type (categorical): nut (1); utricle (2) [sources: NTH_2023; RBGV_2023; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_fleshiness (categorical): dry (2) [sources: Sjostrom_2006; Tsakalos_2020]
  • fruit_dehiscence (categorical): indehiscent (2) [sources: NTH_2023; Sjostrom_2006]
leaf morphology
  • leaf_area (numerical): 817.67 mm2 (333-1302.35 mm2) [sources: Curtis_2012; Leishman_1992]
  • leaf_length (numerical): 111.19 mm (10-210 mm) [sources: Curtis_2012; NHNSW_2014_2; NHNSW_2024; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2014; WAH_2023_1]
  • leaf_width (numerical): 14.58 mm (1.5-36 mm) [sources: Curtis_2012; NHNSW_2014_2; NHNSW_2024; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2014; WAH_2023_1]
  • leaf_dry_mass (numerical): 115.73 mg (115.73-115.73 mg) [sources: Curtis_2012]
  • leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 91.8 g/m2 (78.11-100.39 g/m2) [sources: Curtis_2012; Funk_2016]
  • leaf_dry_matter_content (numerical): 0.15 g/g (0.15-0.15 g/g) [sources: Curtis_2012]
  • leaf_type (categorical): broadleaf (1) [sources: NHNSW_2024]
  • leaf_shape (categorical): lanceolate (3); linear (4); narrowly_elliptical (1); oblong (1) [sources: NHNSW_2024; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023]
  • leaf_margin (categorical): entire (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2]
  • leaf_margin_posture (categorical): undulate (4) [sources: NHNSW_2024; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (2) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2; Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_lamina_posture (categorical): flat (1); undulate (1) [sources: NHNSW_2024; Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_glaucousness (categorical): not_glaucous (2) [sources: Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_hairs_adult_leaves (categorical): glabrous (1) [sources: Tsakalos_2020]
  • leaf_phyllotaxis (categorical): alternate (3) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2; NTH_2023; WAH_2023_1]
  • plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): cladode (1); leaf (7) [sources: NHNSW_2024; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Tsakalos_2020; WAH_2023_1]
life history
  • photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c3 (5) [sources: Munroe_2019; Tsakalos_2020; White_2020]
  • plant_growth_form (categorical): herb (16) [sources: Curtis_2012; Funk_2016; Leishman_1992; Moles_2003; NTH_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; WAH_2022_1; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022; White_2020]
  • life_form (categorical): hemicryptophyte (2) [sources: Funk_2016]
  • life_history (categorical): annual (7); biennial (1); perennial (12); short_lived_perennial (2) [sources: Burrows_2008_2; Burrows_2020; Curtis_2012; Funk_2016; Leishman_1992; Moles_2003; NTH_2022; SAH_2022; WAH_2022_1; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2023]
  • woodiness_detailed (categorical): herbaceous (9) [sources: NTH_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; Tsakalos_2020; WAH_2022_1; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022]
  • stem_growth_habit (categorical): decumbent (3); erect (7); rosette (1) [sources: NTH_2022; RBGV_2022; RBGV_2023; Tsakalos_2020; WAH_2022_1; WAH_2022_2]
  • nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (5) [sources: Funk_2016; White_2020]
  • root_structure (categorical): arbuscular_mycorrhizal (1); non_mycorrhizal (2) [sources: Funk_2016; Schmidt_1993]
  • parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (4) [sources: Tsakalos_2020; White_2020]
  • pollination_syndrome (categorical): insect (3); wind (1) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
  • reproductive_maturity (numerical): 1 a (1-1 a) [sources: Burrows_2020]
  • dispersal_syndrome (categorical): anemochory (1); epizoochory (3) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
  • dispersers (categorical): mammals (3); wind (1) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
  • flowering_time (categorical): nyyyyyyyyynn (1); ynnyyyyyyyyy (1); yyyyyyyyyyyy (3) [sources: Tsakalos_2020; WAH_1998; White_2020]
  • seedbank_location (categorical): soil_seedbank (2) [sources: Burrows_2008_2; Burrows_2020]
  • seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): persistent (3) [sources: White_2020]
  • seed_viability (numerical): 0.71 {count}/{count} (0.71-0.71 {count}/{count}) [sources: Moles_2003]
  • vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): not_vegetative (4) [sources: Tsakalos_2022; White_2020]
  • clonal_spread_mechanism (categorical): non_clonal (1) [sources: Tsakalos_2022]
  • storage_organ (categorical): no_storage_organ (1) [sources: Leishman_1992]
  • bud_bank_location (categorical): none (3) [sources: Burrows_2008_2; Crowley_2007; Nano_2011]
nutrient and stable isotope
seed morphology
  • seed_dry_mass (numerical): 1.79 mg (1.08-3.51 mg) [sources: ANBG_2019; Kew_2019_1; Leishman_1992]
  • seed_length (numerical): 2.15 mm (2-2.3 mm) [sources: WAH_2023_1]
  • seed_shape (categorical): lenticular (2) [sources: SAH_2023]
whole plant morphology
  • plant_height (numerical): 0.95 m (0.15-1.5 m) [sources: Leishman_1992; NHNSW_2014_2; NHNSW_2024; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; WAH_2023_2]
  • plant_physical_defence_structures (categorical): absent (4) [sources: Tsakalos_2020; White_2020]

Sources

dataset_idn_traitsn_recordsreference
Funk_201617113J. L. Funk, R. J. Standish, W. D. Stock, and F. Valladares. “Plant functional traits of dominant native and invasive species in mediterranean-climate ecosystems”. Ecology 97.1 (2016), pp. 75-83. doi: 10.1890/15-0974.1.
White_20201957M. White, S. Sinclair, and D. Frood. Victorian Vital Attributes Database. database. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, 2020.
Tsakalos_20201415J. L. Tsakalos, M. Renton, F. Riviera, E. J. Veneklaas, M. P. Dobrowolski, and L. Mucina. “Trait-based formal definition of plant functional types and functional communities in the multi-species and multi-traits context”. Ecological Complexity 40 (2019), p. 100787. doi: 10.1016/j.ecocom.2019.100787.
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.
NTH_20231014D. 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/.
WAH_2022_2412Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
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_202489N. 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/.
SAH_202368S. 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/.
WAH_2023_158Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
Leishman_199277M. R. Leishman and M. Westoby. “Classifying plants into groups on the basis of associations of individual traits-Evidence from Australian semi-arid woodlands”. Journal of Ecology 80 (1992), pp. 417-424. doi: 10.2307/2260687.
WAH_2023_216Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
Burrows_2008_255N. D. Burrows, G. Wardell-Johnson, and B. Ward. “Post-fire juvenile period of plants in south-west Australia forests and implications for fire management”. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 91 (2008), pp. 163-174. ISSN: 0035922X. url: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/19156 (visited on 03/27/2025).
Burrows_202055N. Burrows. Data from 'Plant Ecological Attributes' theme, NatureMap, DBCA, WA. 2020.
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.
Moles_200344A. T. Moles, D. I. Warton, and M. Westoby. “Seed size and survival in the soil in arid Australia”. Austral Ecology 28.5 (2003), pp. 575-585. doi: 10.1046/j.1442-9993.2003.01314.x.
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.
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/.
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.
Kew_2019_613Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Germination data from the Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
RBGV_202233VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2022. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
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/.
ANBG_201912Australian National Botanic Gardens. The National Seed Bank. 2018. url: http://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/living/seedbank/.
Crowley_200722G. Crowley, M. Gardener, and M. Marrinan. Tropical savannas fire response database. 2007. url: [www.landmanager.org.au](www.landmanager.org.au).
Kew_2019_112Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
Nano_201122C. E. M. Nano and P. J. Clarke. “How do drought and fire influence the patterns of resprouting in Australian deserts?”. Plant Ecology 212 (2011), pp. 2095-2110. doi: 10.1007/s11258-011-9988-x.
SAH_201422J. 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.
Tsakalos_202222J. L. Tsakalos, G. Ottaviani, S. Chelli, A. Rea, S. Elder, M. P. Dobrowolski, and L. Mucina. “Plant clonality in a soil-impoverished open ecosystem: insights from southwest Australian shrublands”. Annals of Botany 130.7 (2022), pp. 981-990. doi: 10.1093/aob/mcac131.
Wenk_202222E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant growth forms dataset”. 2022.
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.
Schmidt_199311S. Schmidt. “Unpublished data: Compilation of mycorrhizal status data, University of Queensland”. 1993.
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.