AusTraits

Smilax australis

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Smilacaceae

Taxonomy: Smilax australis R.Br.

Synonyms: 6 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Smilax australis var. latifolia F.Muell. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Smilax elliptica R.Br. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Smilax latifolia R.Br. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Smilax latifolia R.Br. var. latifolia (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Smilax latifolia var. crassinervia A.DC. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Smilax spinescens Miq. (taxonomic synonym)
Misapplied names: 2 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Ripogonum album R.Br. (misapplied)
  • Smilax purpurata G.Forst. (pro parte misapplied)

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

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

Traits

Top source datasets: ABRS_1981 (1), ABRS_2022 (2), ABRS_2023 (18), ANBG_2019 (4), ATRP_2020 (1), BRAIN_2007 (1), Baker_2019 (2), Benwell_2024 (4), Butler_2004 (5), Chen_2017 (4), Clarke_2009 (3), Clarke_2015 (3), Cooper_2013 (13), Crowley_2007 (2), Fonseca_2000 (13), Gallagher_2012 (3), Hughes_1992 (4), Kew_2019_1 (2), Kew_2019_6 (1), Kooyman_2011 (20), Kubiak_2009 (3), Leishman_1993 (1), Leishman_1995 (7), McCarthy_2017 (5), NHNSW_2014_2 (5), NHNSW_2022 (3), NHNSW_2023 (18), NSWFRD_2014 (15), NTH_2022 (3), NTH_2023 (19), Nano_2011 (2), RBGV_2022 (4), RBGV_2023 (24), Schmidt_2003 (18), Sjostrom_2006 (4), Smith_1996 (76), WAH_1998 (1), WAH_2022_2 (3), WAH_2023_2 (1), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), White_2020 (40), eFLOWER_Dun_2022 (23). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 105 traits from 384 records in 43 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): partial_resprouting (1); resprouts (9) [sources: Baker_2019; Benwell_2024; Clarke_2015; Crowley_2007; Kubiak_2009; NSWFRD_2014; Nano_2011; White_2020]
  • post_fire_recruitment (categorical): post_fire_recruitment (1); post_fire_recruitment_absent (2) [sources: Benwell_2024; Clarke_2015; NSWFRD_2014]
flower morphology
  • flower_colour (categorical): green (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2]
  • sex_type (categorical): dioecious (4) [sources: NHNSW_2022; NTH_2022; RBGV_2022; Sjostrom_2006]
fruit morphology
  • fruit_length (numerical): 7.33 mm (5-10 mm) [sources: Cooper_2013; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023]
  • fruit_width (numerical): 7.6 mm (5-10 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; Cooper_2013; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • fruit_height (numerical): 7.5 mm (5-10 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • fruit_type (categorical): berry (7); drupe (1) [sources: ABRS_2023; Chen_2017; Cooper_2013; Gallagher_2012; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_fleshiness (categorical): fleshy (4) [sources: Chen_2017; Cooper_2013; Leishman_1995; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_dehiscence (categorical): indehiscent (3) [sources: Chen_2017; Cooper_2013; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_colour (categorical): black (4); purple (1) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023]
leaf morphology
  • leaf_area (numerical): 2585.58 mm2 (750-4135 mm2) [sources: Fonseca_2000; Leishman_1995; Smith_1996]
  • leaf_length (numerical): 90.47 mm (45-150 mm) [sources: Smith_1996; ABRS_2023; Kooyman_2011; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_width (numerical): 55.9 mm (30-100 mm) [sources: Fonseca_2000; Smith_1996; ABRS_2023; Kooyman_2011; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_dry_mass (numerical): 307.2 mg (104.57-502 mg) [sources: Fonseca_2000; Smith_1996]
  • petiole_length (numerical): 1.17 cm (0.5-2 cm) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023]
  • leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 100.2 g/m2 (76.34-125 g/m2) [sources: Fonseca_2000; Leishman_1995; Smith_1996]
  • leaf_dry_matter_content (numerical): 0.26 g/g (0.03-0.48 g/g) [sources: Schmidt_2003; Smith_1996]
  • leaf_water_content_per_dry_mass (numerical): 1.21 g/g (1.08-1.29 g/g) [sources: Smith_1996]
  • leaf_shape (categorical): elliptical (1); lanceolate (2); narrowly_ovate (1); ovate (3); widely_elliptical (4); widely_ovate (1) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_margin (categorical): entire (2) [sources: NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023]
  • leaf_lobation (categorical): unlobed (2) [sources: Kooyman_2011]
  • leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (5) [sources: ABRS_2023; Kooyman_2011; NHNSW_2014_2; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_phyllotaxis (categorical): alternate (3) [sources: NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_arrangement (categorical): distichous (1) [sources: RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_inclination_angle (numerical): 20 deg (20-20 deg) [sources: Smith_1996]
  • plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (4) [sources: ABRS_2023; NHNSW_2023; NTH_2023; RBGV_2023]
life history
  • photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c3 (3) [sources: Schmidt_2003; White_2020]
  • plant_growth_form (categorical): climber (8); climber_herbaceous (9); climber_woody (2); herb (1) [sources: ABRS_2022; ATRP_2020; Butler_2004; Clarke_2009; Cooper_2013; Fonseca_2000; Hughes_1992; Kooyman_2011; Leishman_1995; NHNSW_2022; NSWFRD_2014; NTH_2022; RBGV_2022; Schmidt_2003; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022; White_2020]
  • life_history (categorical): perennial (7) [sources: ABRS_2022; NHNSW_2022; NTH_2022; RBGV_2022; Schmidt_2003; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2023]
  • woodiness_detailed (categorical): herbaceous (3) [sources: RBGV_2022; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022]
  • plant_climbing_mechanism (categorical): tendrils (1); twining (1) [sources: Gallagher_2012; Hughes_1992]
  • stem_growth_habit (categorical): climbing (2) [sources: Hughes_1992; NHNSW_2014_2]
  • leaf_phenology (categorical): evergreen (4) [sources: ABRS_1981; Kooyman_2011; Schmidt_2003]
  • nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (3) [sources: Schmidt_2003; White_2020]
  • parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (2) [sources: White_2020]
  • pollination_syndrome (categorical): insect (2) [sources: White_2020]
  • dispersal_syndrome (categorical): endozoochory (5); zoochory (1) [sources: BRAIN_2007; Butler_2004; Leishman_1995; NSWFRD_2014; White_2020]
  • dispersers (categorical): birds (3); cassowaries (1); vertebrates (3) [sources: Butler_2004; Cooper_2013; Leishman_1995; NSWFRD_2014; White_2020]
  • flowering_time (categorical): nnnnnnnnynnn (1); nnnnnnnnyyyy (2); nyyyynnnnnnn (1); yynnnnnnyyyy (2); yyyyyyyynnny (1) [sources: Cooper_2013; Hughes_1992; NHNSW_2014_2; NSWFRD_2014; WAH_1998; White_2020]
  • seedbank_location (categorical): soil_seedbank (2) [sources: Benwell_2024; NSWFRD_2014]
  • seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): persistent (3) [sources: NSWFRD_2014; White_2020]
  • vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): not_vegetative (1); vegetative (2) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2; White_2020]
  • storage_organ (categorical): rhizome (1) [sources: RBGV_2023]
  • bud_bank_location (categorical): basal_buds (1); basal_stem_buds (5); bud-bearing_root (3); rhizome (2) [sources: Baker_2019; Clarke_2009; Clarke_2015; Crowley_2007; NSWFRD_2014; Nano_2011]
nutrient and stable isotope
  • leaf_N_per_dry_mass (numerical): 17.02 mg/g (12.04-23 mg/g) [sources: Schmidt_2003; Smith_1996]
  • leaf_P_per_dry_mass (numerical): 0.94 mg/g (0.94-0.94 mg/g) [sources: Smith_1996]
  • leaf_delta13C (numerical): -31.14 {delta}[ppth] (-32.04--30.23 {delta}[ppth]) [sources: Schmidt_2003]
seed morphology
  • seed_dry_mass (numerical): 45.04 mg (29.8-110.26 mg) [sources: Kew_2019_1; Leishman_1993; Leishman_1995]
  • seed_length (numerical): 5.42 mm (4-7.08 mm) [sources: ANBG_2019; Cooper_2013; Kooyman_2011; RBGV_2023]
  • seed_width (numerical): 4.43 mm (3-6 mm) [sources: ANBG_2019; Butler_2004; Kooyman_2011; RBGV_2023]
  • seed_shape (categorical): globoid (2); ovoid (1) [sources: ABRS_2023; ANBG_2019; RBGV_2023]
stem morphology
  • wood_density (numerical): 0.55 mg/mm3 (0.44-0.67 mg/mm3) [sources: McCarthy_2017]
whole plant morphology

Sources

dataset_idn_traitsn_recordsreference
Smith_19961776B. Smith. “Community-level convergence and community structure of temperate Nothofagus forests”. PhD. University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, 1996. url: http://web.nateko.lu.se/personal/benjamin.smith/thesis/thesis.html.
White_20202040M. White, S. Sinclair, and D. Frood. Victorian Vital Attributes Database. database. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, 2020.
RBGV_20231724VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2023. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
eFLOWER_Dun_20222323L. Dun and H. Sauquet. “Unpublished: Floral traits for GAP taxa, University of New South Wales, Australia”. 2022.
Kooyman_2011820R. 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.
NTH_20231319D. 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/.
ABRS_20231318Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
NHNSW_20231218N. 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/.
Schmidt_20031018S. Schmidt and G. R. Stewart. “d15N values of tropical savanna and monsoon forest species reflect root specialisations and soil nitrogen status”. Oecologia 134 (2003), pp. 569-577. doi: 10.1007/s00442-002-1150-y.
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.
Cooper_20131013W. Cooper and W. T. Cooper. Australian rainforest fruits. CSIRO Publishing, 2013, p. 272.
Fonseca_2000513C. 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.
Leishman_199577M. 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.
Butler_200455D. W. Butler, R. J. Green, D. Lamb, W. J. F. Mcdonald, and P. I. Forster. “Biogeography of seed-dispersal syndromes, life-forms and seed sizes among woody rain-forest plants in Australia's subtropics”. Journal of Biogeography 34.10 (2007), pp. 1736-1750. ISSN: 1365-2699. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2007.01734.x.
McCarthy_201715J. K. McCarthy, J. M. Dwyer, and K. Mokany. “A regional-scale assessment of using metabolic scaling theory to predict ecosystem properties”. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 286.1915 (2019), p. 20192221. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2221.
NHNSW_2014_255Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. PLantNET: NSW flora online. 2014. url: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/.
ANBG_201944Australian National Botanic Gardens. The National Seed Bank. 2018. url: http://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/living/seedbank/.
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.
Chen_201744Chen, S.-C., Cornwell, W., Z. H.-X., Moles, and A. T. “Plants show more flesh in the tropics: Variation in fruit type along latitudinal and climatic gradients.”. Ecography 40 (2017), pp. 531-538. doi: abs/10.1111/ecog.02010.
Hughes_199244L. Hughes and B. Rice. “Unpublished data: Traits data for 643 species, Macquarie University”. 1992.
RBGV_202244VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2022. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.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.
Clarke_200923P. J. Clarke, K. J. E. Knox, M. L. Campbell, and L. M. Copeland. “Post-fire recovery of woody plants in the New England Tableland Bioregion”. Cunninghamia 11 (2009), pp. 221-239. doi: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/4907.
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.
Gallagher_201233R. V. Gallagher and M. R. Leishman. “A global analysis of trait variation and evolution in climbing plants”. Journal of Biogeography 39.10 (2012), pp. 1757-1771. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2012.02773.x.
Kubiak_200923P. J. Kubiak. “Fire responses of bushland plants after the January 1994 wildfires in northern Sydney”. Cunninghamia 11.1 (2009), pp. 131-165.
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/.
NTH_202233D. 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_233Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
ABRS_202222Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
Baker_201922A. Baker. “Unpublished data: Post-fire fire-response surveys on the NSW north coast, Southern Cross University”. 2019.
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.
Wenk_202222E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant growth forms dataset”. 2022.
ABRS_198111B. A. Barlow, H. T. Clifford, A. S. George, and A. K. A. McCusker. Flora of Australia. 1981. url: http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/online-resources/flora/main/.
ATRP_202011F. A. Zich, B. P. Hyland, T. Whiffin, and R. A. Kerrigan. Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants, Edition 8. 2020. url: https://apps.lucidcentral.org/rainforest/text/intro/index.html.
BRAIN_200711Brisbane Rainforest Action & Information Network. Trait measurements for Australian rainforest species. 2016. url: http://www.brisrain.org.au/.
Kew_2019_611Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Germination 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.
WAH_199811Western Australian Herbarium. FloraBase: The Western Australian flora. 1998. url: http://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au.
WAH_2023_211Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
Wenk_202311E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant life history dataset, University of New South Wales, Sydney”. 2023.