Thysanotus tuberosus

Fringe-lily
Fringe-lily at Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Australia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Lomandroideae
Genus: Thysanotus
Species: T. tuberosus
Binomial name
Thysanotus tuberosus
Thysanotus tuberosus R.Br.
Synonyms

* Thysanotus elatior R.Br.

Thysanotus tuberosus, known as the Common Fringe-lily is a perennial herb which is endemic to Australia. The species name tuberosus refers to the crisp tasting edible root.[1]

The leaves are linear in shape, and round at cross section towards the top. The plant grows from 20 cm to 60 cm tall.

It grows in a wide variety of situations, from semi-arid parts of south eastern Australia to coastal areas receiving more than 1300 mm of rain per year. They are often found in open country, heathlands or in dry sclerophyll woodland.[2]

Flowers form from September to April. The three petaled flowers are purple, with frilly edges, and only last for one day. They are among the more colorful wildflowers in south eastern Australia.

Sub-species

The tepals are somewhat longer and wider in subsp. tuberosus, being 10 to 19 mm long, and around 10 mm wide. In subsp. parviflorus the inner anthers are smaller, and straight to slightly curved.[3]

Notes

  1. http://www.friendsoflanecovenationalpark.org.au/Flowering/Flowers/Thysanotus_tuberosus.htm
  2. "Thysanotus tuberosus". PlantNET - NSW Flora Online. Retrieved 2010-02-27.
  3. "Thysanotus tuberosus". PlantNET - NSW Flora Online. Retrieved 2010-02-27.

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, January 28, 2014. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.