AusTraits

Xyris operculata

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Xyridaceae

Taxonomy: Xyris operculata Labill.

Synonyms: 3 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Xyris brownei Kunth (taxonomic synonym)
  • Xyris brownii Kunth (taxonomic synonym)
  • Xyris operculata Labill. var. operculata (nomenclatural synonym)
Misapplied names: 1 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Xyris gracilis R.Br. (misapplied)

Distribution (APC): SA, Qld, NSW, Vic, Tas

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

Traits

Top source datasets: ANBG_2019 (7), Cheal_2017 (4), Draper_2023 (3), Hughes_1992 (3), Jordan_2001 (6), Kew_2019_1 (2), Kew_2019_6 (4), Kubiak_2009 (2), Mokany_2015 (2), NHNSW_2014_2 (4), NHNSW_2022 (3), NHNSW_2023 (11), NSWFRD_2014 (9), RBGV_2022 (3), RBGV_2023 (4), SAH_2014 (1), SAH_2022 (3), SAH_2023 (6), Sjostrom_2006 (4), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1), White_2020 (19), Williams_2011 (9). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 54 traits from 112 records in 23 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): red_brown (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2]
  • sex_type (categorical): hermaphrodite (2); monoecious (1) [sources: Jordan_2001; Sjostrom_2006]
fruit morphology
  • fruit_type (categorical): capsule (3) [sources: NHNSW_2023; SAH_2023; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_fleshiness (categorical): dry (2) [sources: Jordan_2001; Sjostrom_2006]
  • fruit_dehiscence (categorical): dehiscent (3) [sources: RBGV_2023; SAH_2023; Sjostrom_2006]
leaf morphology
  • leaf_area (numerical): 47.12 mm2 (47.12-47.12 mm2) [sources: Mokany_2015]
  • leaf_length (numerical): 412.5 mm (200-600 mm) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_width (numerical): 0.75 mm (0.5-1 mm) [sources: NHNSW_2023]
  • leaf_shape (categorical): linear (1); terete (1) [sources: NHNSW_2023; SAH_2023]
  • leaf_base_shape (categorical): sheathing (1) [sources: NHNSW_2023]
  • leaf_margin (categorical): entire (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2]
  • leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (1) [sources: NHNSW_2014_2]
  • leaf_arrangement (categorical): crowded (1); distichous (1) [sources: NHNSW_2023; SAH_2023]
  • plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): leaf (3) [sources: NHNSW_2023; RBGV_2023; SAH_2023]
life history
  • photosynthetic_pathway (categorical): c3 (2) [sources: White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • plant_growth_form (categorical): graminoid (1); herb (6); tussock (1) [sources: Hughes_1992; NHNSW_2022; NSWFRD_2014; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; Wenk_2022; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • life_form (categorical): hemicryptophyte (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • life_history (categorical): perennial (5) [sources: Jordan_2001; NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; Wenk_2023]
  • woodiness_detailed (categorical): herbaceous (4) [sources: NHNSW_2022; RBGV_2022; SAH_2022; Wenk_2022]
  • nitrogen_fixing (categorical): non_nitrogen_fixer (2) [sources: White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • root_structure (categorical): non_mycorrhizal (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • parasitic (categorical): not_parasitic (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • pollination_syndrome (categorical): insect (2) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
  • pollination_system (categorical): biotic_unspecialised (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • dispersal_syndrome (categorical): barochory (1); epizoochory (1); zoochory (1) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020; Williams_2011]
  • dispersers (categorical): abiotic (1); animals (1); birds (1) [sources: Draper_2023; White_2020]
  • flowering_time (categorical): nnnnnnnyyyyn (1); ynnnnnnnnnyy (1); yynnnnnnnnyy (2) [sources: Hughes_1992; NHNSW_2014_2; NSWFRD_2014; White_2020]
  • seedbank_location (categorical): soil_seedbank (1) [sources: NSWFRD_2014]
  • seedbank_longevity_class (categorical): persistent (2) [sources: NSWFRD_2014; White_2020]
  • vegetative_reproduction_ability (categorical): not_vegetative (1) [sources: White_2020]
  • clonal_spread_mechanism (categorical): non_clonal (1) [sources: Williams_2011]
  • bud_bank_location (categorical): basal_buds (1) [sources: NSWFRD_2014]
seed morphology
  • seed_dry_mass (numerical): 0.07 mg (0.06-0.09 mg) [sources: ANBG_2019; Kew_2019_1]
  • seed_length (numerical): 1.3 mm (1.3-1.31 mm) [sources: ANBG_2019; Jordan_2001; NHNSW_2023]
  • seed_width (numerical): 0.44 mm (0.37-0.5 mm) [sources: ANBG_2019; Jordan_2001]
  • seed_shape (categorical): fusiform (1); ovoid_elongated (1) [sources: ANBG_2019; NHNSW_2023]
whole plant morphology

Sources

dataset_idn_traitsn_recordsreference
White_20201919M. White, S. Sinclair, and D. Frood. Victorian Vital Attributes Database. database. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, 2020.
NHNSW_2023911N. 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/.
NSWFRD_201499B. 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.
Williams_201199R. P. Duncan, S. E. Clemants, R. T. Corlett, A. K. Hahs, M. A. McCarthy, M. J. McDonnell, M. W. Schwartz, K. Thompson, P. A. Vesk, and N. S. G. Williams. “Plant traits and extinction in urban areas: a meta-analysis of 11 cities”. Global Ecology and Biogeography 20.4 (2011), pp. 509-519. doi: 10.1111/j.1466-8238.2010.00633.x.
ANBG_201967Australian National Botanic Gardens. The National Seed Bank. 2018. url: http://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/living/seedbank/.
Jordan_200166G. J. Jordan. “An investigation of long-distance dispersal based on species native to both Tasmania and New Zealand”. Australian Journal of Botany 49.3 (2001), pp. 333-340. doi: 10.1071/bt00024.
SAH_202366S. 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/.
Cheal_201744D. 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.
Kew_2019_614Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Germination data from the Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
NHNSW_2014_244Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. PLantNET: NSW flora online. 2014. url: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/.
RBGV_202334VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2023. 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.
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.
Hughes_199233L. Hughes and B. Rice. “Unpublished data: Traits data for 643 species, Macquarie University”. 1992.
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/.
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/.
Kew_2019_112Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Seed Information Database (SID) and Seed Bank Database. 2019. url: http://data.kew.org/sid/.
Kubiak_200922P. J. Kubiak. “Fire responses of bushland plants after the January 1994 wildfires in northern Sydney”. Cunninghamia 11.1 (2009), pp. 131-165.
Mokany_201522K. Mokany, J. J. Thomson, A. J. J. Lynch, G. J. Jordan, and S. Ferrier. “Linking changes in community composition and function under climate change”. Ecological Applications 25.8 (2015), pp. 2132-2141. doi: 10.1890/14-2384.1.
Wenk_202222E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant growth forms dataset”. 2022.
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.