AusTraits

Themeda avenacea

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Poaceae

Taxonomy: Themeda avenacea (F.Muell.) Lugger

Synonyms: 6 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Anthistiria avenacea F.Muell. (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Anthistiria basiserica F.Muell. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Themeda gigantea subsp. avenacea (F.Muell.) Hack. (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Themeda gigantea subvar. avenacea (F.Muell.) Roberty (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Themeda gigantea var. avenacea (F.Muell.) Hack. (nomenclatural synonym)
  • Themeda gigantea var. latifrons Domin (taxonomic synonym)
Misapplied names: 1 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Anthistiria gigantea Cav. (misapplied)

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: Cheal_2017 (8), Crowley_2007 (2), Draper_2023 (2), GrassBase_2014 (6), Kew_2019_1 (1), Metcalfe_2020_2 (14), Munroe_2019 (1), NHNSW_2014 (1), NHNSW_2014_2 (1), NHNSW_2022 (3), NHNSW_2023 (6), NSWFRD_2014 (2), Nano_2011 (2), Osborne_2014 (1), RBGV_2022 (4), RBGV_2023 (9), Rice_1991 (1), SAH_2014 (1), SAH_2022 (3), SAH_2023 (2), Simpson_2021 (2), Sjostrom_2006 (4), WAH_2022_2 (3), WAH_2023_2 (3), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), White_2020 (20). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 46 traits from 105 records in 27 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): resprouts (5) [sources: Cheal_2017; Crowley_2007; NSWFRD_2014; Nano_2011; White_2020]
  • post_fire_recruitment (categorical): post_fire_recruitment (1) [sources: Cheal_2017]
flower morphology
  • flower_colour (categorical): red_brown (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2]
  • sex_type (categorical): andromonoecious (2) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2; Sjostrom_2006]
fruit morphology
  • fruit_type (categorical): caryopsis (6) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Sjostrom_2006; WAH_2023_2]
  • fruit_fleshiness (categorical): dry (2) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_dehiscence (categorical): dehiscent (1); indehiscent (2) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2; Sjostrom_2006]
leaf morphology
  • leaf_area (numerical): 431.25 mm2 (431.25-431.25 mm2) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2]
  • leaf_length (numerical): 587.5 mm (150-1000 mm) [sources: GrassBase_2014; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_width (numerical): 1.83 mm (1-3 mm) [sources: GrassBase_2014; NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_base_shape (categorical): sheathing (1) [sources: RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2]
  • leaf_lamina_posture (categorical): conduplicate (1) [sources: RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_phyllotaxis (categorical): alternate (2) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (3) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023]
life history
  • photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c4 (4) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2; Munroe_2019; Osborne_2014; White_2020]
  • plant_growth_form (categorical): graminoid (4); herb (6); tussock (3) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2; NHNSW_2022; NSWFRD_2014; RBGV_2022; Rice_1991; SAH_2022; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022; White_2020]
  • life_form (categorical): hemicryptophyte (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2]
  • life_history (categorical): perennial (7) [sources: Cheal_2017; NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; Simpson_2021; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2023]
  • woodiness_detailed (categorical): herbaceous (5) [sources: NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; WAH_2022_2; Wenk_2022]
  • stem_growth_habit (categorical): erect (1); rhizomatous (1) [sources: RBGV_2022]
  • nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • root_structure (categorical): non_mycorrhizal (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2]
  • parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • pollination_syndrome (categorical): abiotic (1); self (1); wind (2) [sources: Draper_2023; Metcalfe_2020_2; White_2020]
  • dispersal_syndrome (categorical): anemochory (1); epizoochory (2) [sources: Draper_2023; Metcalfe_2020_2; White_2020]
  • dispersers (categorical): mammals (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • flowering_time (categorical): nnnnnnynnnnn (1); yyyyyyyyynyy (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014; White_2020]
  • seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): long_persistent (1); persistent (1) [sources: Cheal_2017; White_2020]
  • vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): not_vegetative (1); vegetative (1) [sources: Metcalfe_2020_2; White_2020]
  • storage_organ (categorical): rhizome (1) [sources: RBGV_2023]
  • bud_bank_location (categorical): basal_stem_buds (2); root_crown (1) [sources: Crowley_2007; Nano_2011; Simpson_2021]
seed morphology
  • seed_dry_mass (numerical): 12.34 mg (12.34-12.34 mg) [sources: Kew_2019_1]
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.
Metcalfe_2020_21414D. Metcalfe. “Unpublished data: Traits of Poaceae spp, CSIRO”. 2020.
RBGV_202399VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2023. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
Cheal_201788D. 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.
GrassBase_201436W. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, and K. H. &. H. Williamson. GrassBase - The online world grass flora. 2006. url: http://www.kew.org/data/grasses-db.html.
NHNSW_202356N. 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_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.
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/.
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/.
WAH_2022_233Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/.
WAH_2023_223Western Australian Herbarium. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: https://florabase.dpaw.wa.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).
Draper_202322J. 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.
NSWFRD_201422B. 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.
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_202322S. 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/.
Simpson_202122K. J. Simpson, E. C. Jardine, S. Archibald, E. J. Forrestel, C. E. R. Lehmann, G. H. Thomas, and C. P. Osborne. “Resprouting grasses are associated with less frequent fire than seeders”. New Phytologist 230 (2021), pp. 832-844. doi: 10.1111/nph.17069.
Wenk_202222E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant growth forms dataset”. 2022.
Kew_2019_111Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
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.
NHNSW_201411Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. PLantNET. 2014. url: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/search/simple.htm.
NHNSW_2014_211Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. PLantNET: NSW flora online. 2014. url: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/.
Osborne_201411C. Osborne, A. Salomaa, T. Kluyver, V. Visser, E. Kellogg, O. Morrone, M. Vorontsova, W. Clayton, and D. Simpson. “A global database of C4 photosynthesis in grasses”. New Phytologist 204 (2014), pp. 441-446. doi: 10.1111/nph.12942.
Rice_199111B. Rice. “Unpublished data: Growth form of Kakadu plant species, Macquarie University”. 1991.
SAH_201411J. 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.
Wenk_202311E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant life history dataset, University of New South Wales, Sydney”. 2023.