AusTraits

Syzygium smithii

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Myrtaceae

Taxonomy: Syzygium smithii (Poir.) Nied.

Synonyms: 19 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Acmena elliptica G.Benn. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Acmena floribunda var. elliptica DC. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Acmena pendula G.Benn. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Acmena smithii (Poir.) Merr. & L.M.Perry (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Acmena smithii (Poir.) Merr. & L.M.Perry var. smithii (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Acmena smithii Small-leaved race (taxonomic synonym)
  • Acmena smithii Type form (taxonomic synonym)
  • Acmena smithii var. minor (Maiden) Merr. & L.M.Perry (taxonomic synonym)
  • Eugenia brachynema F.Muell. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Eugenia elliptica Sm. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Eugenia smithii Poir. (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Eugenia smithii Poir. var. smithii (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Eugenia smithii var. coriacea Domin (taxonomic synonym)
  • Eugenia smithii var. minor Maiden (taxonomic synonym)
  • Lomastelma elliptica (Sm.) Raf. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Lomastelma smithii (Poir.) J.H.Willis (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Metrosideros laurifolia Desf. (doubtful taxonomic synonym)
  • Myrtus smithii Spreng. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Syzygium brachynemum F.Muell. (taxonomic synonym)

Distribution (APC): Qld, NSW, Vic (native and naturalised), Tas (naturalised)

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

Traits

Top source datasets: ATRP_2020 (1), Baker_2019 (2), Benwell_2024 (4), Butler_2004 (5), Campbell_2006 (6), Clarke_2009 (3), Clarke_2015 (3), Cooper_2013 (19), Duncan_1998 (13), Edwards_2000 (36), Fonseca_2000 (5), Gardiner_2019 (40), Gosper_2004 (1), Gross_2005 (4), Hughes_1992 (4), Hughes_2005 (5), Ilic_2000 (6), Knox_2011 (6), Kooyman_2011 (14), Kubiak_2009 (2), Lawson_2015 (4), Laxton_2005 (11), Leishman_1993 (1), Leishman_1995 (7), Li_2018 (9), McGlone_2015 (6), Morgan_2005 (5), NHNSW_2014_2 (6), NHNSW_2022 (3), NHNSW_2023 (18), NSWFRD_2014 (15), Pickup_2005 (5), RBGV_2022 (3), RBGV_2023 (17), RadfordSmith_2024 (39), Read_2003 (62), Sams_2017 (6), Sjostrom_2006 (4), Smith_1996 (115), Stewart_1995 (14), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), White_2020 (72), Wright_2000 (10). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 121 traits from 614 records in 44 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 (7) [sources: Baker_2019; Benwell_2024; Campbell_2006; Clarke_2015; Knox_2011; Kubiak_2009; NSWFRD_2014]
  • post_fire_recruitment (categorical): post_fire_recruitment (1); post_fire_recruitment_absent (2) [sources: Benwell_2024; Campbell_2006; Clarke_2015]
flower morphology
  • flower_colour (categorical): white_cream (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2]
  • sex_type (categorical): hermaphrodite (2) [sources: Gross_2005; Sjostrom_2006]
fruit morphology
  • fruit_length (numerical): 12.67 mm (6-20 mm) [sources: Cooper_2013; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • fruit_width (numerical): 12.67 mm (6-20 mm) [sources: Cooper_2013; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • fruit_height (numerical): 12 mm (6-20 mm) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • fruit_type (categorical): berry (8) [sources: Cooper_2013; Gross_2005; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; RadfordSmith_2024; Sams_2017; Sjostrom_2006; Wright_2000]
  • fruit_fleshiness (categorical): fleshy (7) [sources: Cooper_2013; Gross_2005; Leishman_1995; Sams_2017; Sjostrom_2006; Wright_2000]
  • fruit_dehiscence (categorical): indehiscent (6) [sources: Cooper_2013; Gross_2005; Sams_2017; Sjostrom_2006; Wright_2000]
  • fruit_colour (categorical): purple (2); white (2) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
leaf morphology
  • leaf_area (numerical): 1795.15 mm2 (253.77-3734 mm2) [sources: Duncan_1998; Edwards_2000; Fonseca_2000; Gardiner_2019; Laxton_2005; Leishman_1995; Morgan_2005; Pickup_2005; RadfordSmith_2024; Read_2003; Smith_1996]
  • leaf_length (numerical): 93.72 mm (25-167 mm) [sources: McGlone_2015; Smith_1996; Kooyman_2011; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_width (numerical): 39.35 mm (7-70 mm) [sources: Fonseca_2000; McGlone_2015; Smith_1996; Kooyman_2011; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_dry_mass (numerical): 138.64 mg (13.63-307 mg) [sources: Duncan_1998; Fonseca_2000; Gardiner_2019; RadfordSmith_2024; Read_2003; Smith_1996]
  • petiole_length (numerical): 0.55 cm (0.2-0.9 cm) [sources: NHNSW_2023]
  • leaf_mass_per_area (numerical): 96.81 g/m2 (51.2-147.06 g/m2) [sources: Duncan_1998; Edwards_2000; Fonseca_2000; Gardiner_2019; Knox_2011; Laxton_2005; Leishman_1995; Li_2018; Morgan_2005; Pickup_2005; RadfordSmith_2024; Read_2003; Sams_2017; Smith_1996]
  • leaf_area_ratio (numerical): 7.46 mm2/mg (7.46-7.46 mm2/mg) [sources: Pickup_2005]
  • leaf_dry_matter_content (numerical): 0.38 g/g (0.21-0.56 g/g) [sources: Duncan_1998; Gardiner_2019; RadfordSmith_2024; Read_2003; Smith_1996]
  • leaf_water_content_per_dry_mass (numerical): 1.53 g/g (1.38-1.66 g/g) [sources: Smith_1996]
  • leaf_type (categorical): broadleaf (1) [sources: Stewart_1995]
  • leaf_shape (categorical): elliptical (1); narrowly_lanceolate (2); widely_ovate (2) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_base_shape (categorical): cuneate (1) [sources: NHNSW_2023]
  • leaf_margin (categorical): entire (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2]
  • leaf_lobation (categorical): unlobed (1) [sources: Kooyman_2011]
  • leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (6) [sources: Edwards_2000; Kooyman_2011; McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2014_2; RBGV_2023; Read_2003]
  • leaf_phyllotaxis (categorical): opposite (2) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_inclination_angle (numerical): 22 deg (5-55 deg) [sources: Smith_1996]
  • plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (2) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
life history
  • photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c3 (6) [sources: Duncan_1998; Stewart_1995; White_2020]
  • plant_growth_form (categorical): shrub (3); tree (20) [sources: ATRP_2020; Butler_2004; Campbell_2006; Clarke_2009; Cooper_2013; Edwards_2000; Fonseca_2000; Hughes_1992; Kooyman_2011; Leishman_1995; McGlone_2015; NHNSW_2022; NSWFRD_2014; RBGV_2022; Stewart_1995; Wenk_2022; White_2020]
  • life_history (categorical): perennial (3) [sources: NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; Wenk_2023]
  • woodiness_detailed (categorical): woody (3) [sources: NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; Wenk_2022]
  • leaf_phenology (categorical): evergreen (4) [sources: Edwards_2000; Kooyman_2011; RadfordSmith_2024; Stewart_1995]
  • nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (6) [sources: Edwards_2000; Stewart_1995; White_2020]
  • parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (4) [sources: White_2020]
  • pollination_syndrome (categorical): insect (4) [sources: White_2020]
  • dispersal_syndrome (categorical): endozoochory (8); zoochory (1) [sources: Butler_2004; Hughes_1992; Leishman_1995; NSWFRD_2014; RadfordSmith_2024; White_2020]
  • dispersers (categorical): birds (6); flying_vertebrates (1); vertebrates (4) [sources: Butler_2004; Campbell_2006; Cooper_2013; Leishman_1995; NSWFRD_2014; Sams_2017; White_2020]
  • flowering_time (categorical): yynnnnnnnnyy (7); yyynnnnnnnyy (1); yyyynnnnnyyy (1) [sources: Cooper_2013; Hughes_1992; NHNSW_2014_2; NSWFRD_2014; White_2020]
  • seedbank_location (categorical): none (2) [sources: Benwell_2024; Campbell_2006]
  • seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): transient (5) [sources: NSWFRD_2014; White_2020]
  • vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): not_vegetative (5) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2; White_2020]
  • storage_organ (categorical): lignotuber (1) [sources: NSWFRD_2014]
  • bud_bank_location (categorical): basal_buds (2); basal_stem_buds (2); epicormic_buds (3); stem_buds (1) [sources: Baker_2019; Campbell_2006; Clarke_2009; Clarke_2015; NSWFRD_2014]
nutrient and stable isotope
  • leaf_N_per_dry_mass (numerical): 12.65 mg/g (11-17.3 mg/g) [sources: Edwards_2000; Laxton_2005; Read_2003; Smith_1996]
  • leaf_P_per_dry_mass (numerical): 1.05 mg/g (0.12-2.3 mg/g) [sources: Edwards_2000; Read_2003; Smith_1996]
  • leaf_delta13C (numerical): -29.21 {delta}[ppth] (-31--27.62 {delta}[ppth]) [sources: Stewart_1995]
seed morphology
  • seed_dry_mass (numerical): 12.02 mg (12-12.04 mg) [sources: Leishman_1993; Leishman_1995]
  • seed_length (numerical): 8.5 mm (5-12 mm) [sources: Cooper_2013; Kooyman_2011]
  • seed_width (numerical): 7.75 mm (5-12 mm) [sources: Butler_2004; Kooyman_2011]
stem morphology
  • wood_density (numerical): 0.62 mg/mm3 (0.4-0.82 mg/mm3) [sources: Gardiner_2019; Hughes_2005; Ilic_2000; Knox_2011; Kooyman_2011; Lawson_2015; Li_2018; Morgan_2005; Pickup_2005; RadfordSmith_2024; Sams_2017]
  • huber_value (numerical): 0 mm2{sapwood}/mm2{leaf} (0-0 mm2{sapwood}/mm2{leaf}) [sources: Pickup_2005]
  • stem_vessel_density (numerical): 305 {count}/mm2 (305-305 {count}/mm2) [sources: Hughes_2005]
  • stem_vessel_diameter (numerical): 18 um (18-18 um) [sources: Hughes_2005]
  • stem_vessel_lumen_fraction (numerical): 0.1 mm2/mm2 (0.1-0.1 mm2/mm2) [sources: Hughes_2005]
whole plant morphology

Sources

dataset_idn_traitsn_recordsreference
Smith_199617115B. 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_20201872M. White, S. Sinclair, and D. Frood. Victorian Vital Attributes Database. database. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, 2020.
Read_20031862J. Read and G. D. Sanson. “Characterizing sclerophylly: the mechanical properties of a diverse range of leaf types”. New Phytologist 160.1 (2003), pp. 81-99. doi: 10.1046/j.1469-8137.2003.00855.x.
Gardiner_2019840R. Gardiner, L. P. Shoo, and J. M. Dwyer. “Look to seedling heights, rather than functional traits, to explain survival during extreme heat stress in the early stages of subtropical rainforest restoration”. Journal of Applied Ecology 56.12 (2019), pp. 2687-2697. doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.13505.
RadfordSmith_20241439J. Radford-Smith, H. R. Lai, E. C. Weeren, and J. M. Dwyer. “A Functional Basis for the Assembly of Australian Subtropical Rainforest Tree Communities”. Ecology Letters 27.11 (2024). ISSN: 1461-0248. doi: 10.1111/ele.70014.
Edwards_20001636C. Edwards, J. Read, and G. D. Sanson. “Characterising sclerophylly: some mechanical properties of leaves from heath and forest”. Oecologia 123.2 (2000), pp. 158-167. doi: 10.1007/s004420051001.
Cooper_20131219W. Cooper and W. T. Cooper. Australian rainforest fruits. CSIRO Publishing, 2013, p. 272.
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/.
RBGV_20231217VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2023. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
NSWFRD_20141215B. 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_20111014R. 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.
Stewart_1995614G. Stewart, M. Turnbull, S. Schmidt, and P. Erskine. “13C natural abundance in plant communities along a rainfall gradient: a biological integrator of water availability”. Functional Plant Biology 22.1 (1995), pp. 51-55. doi: 10.1071/pp9950051.
Duncan_19981313D. H. Duncan. “Unpublished data: Structural basis of variation in leaf mass per area in three plant clades, Macquarie University”. 1998.
Laxton_20051111E. Laxton. “Relationship between leaf traits, insect communities and resource availability”. PhD. Macquarie University, 2005. url: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/483.
Wright_20001010I. 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.
Li_201899X. Li, C. J. Blackman, B. Choat, R. A. Duursma, P. D. Rymer, B. E. Medlyn, and D. T. Tissue. “Tree hydraulic traits are coordinated and strongly linked to climate-of-origin across a rainfall gradient”. Plant, Cell & Environment 41 (2018), pp. 646-660. doi: 10.1111/pce.13129.
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.
Campbell_200666M. L. Campbell and P. J. Clarke. “Response of montane wet sclerophyll forest understorey species to fire- evidence from high and low intensity fires”. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 127 (2006), pp. 63-73. doi: unknown.
Ilic_200016J. Ilic, D. Boland, M. McDonald, D. G, and P. Blakemore. Woody density phase 1 - State of knowledge. National Carbon Accounting System. Technical Report 18. Tech. rep. Australian Greenhouse Office, Canberra, Australia, 2000.
Knox_201166K. J. E. Knox and P. J. Clarke. “Fire severity and nutrient availability do not constrain resprouting in forest shrubs”. Plant Ecology 212 (2011), pp. 1967-1978. doi: 10.1007/s11258-011-9956-5.
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.
NHNSW_2014_266Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. PLantNET: NSW flora online. 2014. url: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/.
Sams_201766M. A. Sams, H. R. Lai, S. P. Bonser, P. A. Vesk, R. M. Kooyman, D. J. Metcalfe, J. W. Morgan, and M. M. Mayfield. “Landscape context explains changes in the functional diversity of regenerating forests better than climate or species richness”. Global Ecology and Biogeography 26.10 (2017), pp. 1165-1176. doi: 10.1111/geb.12627.
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.
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.
Hughes_200555K. Hughes. “Unpublished data: Wood and stem density data for Australian plant species, Macquarie University”. 2005.
Morgan_200555H. Morgan. “Root system architecture, water use and rainfall responses of perennial species”. PhD. Macquarie University, 2005.
Pickup_200555M. Pickup, M. Westoby, and A. Basden. “Dry mass costs of deploying leaf area in relation to leaf size”. Functional Ecology 19.1 (2005), pp. 88-97. doi: 10.1111/j.0269-8463.2005.00927.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.
Gross_200544C. L. Gross. “A comparison of the sexual systems in the trees from the Australian tropics with other tropical biomes-more monoecy but why?”. American Journal of Botany 92.6 (2005), pp. 907-919. doi: 10.3732/ajb.92.6.907.
Hughes_199244L. Hughes and B. Rice. “Unpublished data: Traits data for 643 species, Macquarie University”. 1992.
Lawson_201514J. R. Lawson, K. A. Fryirs, and M. R. Leishman. “Data from: Hydrological conditions explain wood density in riparian plants of south-eastern Australia”. Dryad Digital Repository (2015). doi: 10.5061/dryad.72h45.
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.
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/.
RBGV_202233VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2022. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
Baker_201922A. Baker. “Unpublished data: Post-fire fire-response surveys on the NSW north coast, Southern Cross University”. 2019.
Kubiak_200912P. J. Kubiak. “Fire responses of bushland plants after the January 1994 wildfires in northern Sydney”. Cunninghamia 11.1 (2009), pp. 131-165.
Wenk_202222E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant growth forms dataset”. 2022.
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.
Gosper_200411C. R. Gosper. “Fruit characteristics of invasive bitou bush, Chrysanthemoides monilifera (Asteraceae), and a comparison with co-occurring native plant species”. Australian Journal of Botany 52.2 (2004), pp. 223-230. doi: 10.1071/bt03046.
Leishman_199311M. Leishman. “Unpublished data: Seed mass data for Sydney species, Macquarie University”. 1990.
Wenk_202311E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant life history dataset, University of New South Wales, Sydney”. 2023.