Family: Asparagaceae
Lomandra
Citation:
Labill., Nov. Holl. Pl. Sp. 1:92 (1805).
Derivation: Greek loma, margin; andros, a male; alluding to the circular margin of the anthers in some species.
Synonymy: Xerotes R. Br., Prod. Fl. Nov. Holl. 259 (1810). (A. Lee (1966) Contr. N.S.W. natn. Herb. Fl. ser. 34:16).
Common name: Irongrasses.
Description:
Perennials with narrow hard linear leaves, almost all basal and usually much longer than the inflorescence, the sheathing bases often split into silky filaments.
Flowers small, dioecious; male perianth of 6 free or partly united segments; stamens 6; female perianth of 6 segments which are faintly 1-nerved; ovary 3-celled, with 1 ovule in each cell; style 3-cleft nearly to the base, the short stigmatic branches recurved.
Fruit a hard subglobular capsule, opening loculicidally in 3 valves.
Distribution:
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About 50 species in Australia, with 1 in New Caledonia and 2 in New Guinea.
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Biology:
No text
Key to Species:
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1. Inflorescence (male and female) a rigid panicle with whorled branches and clustered flowers |
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2. Male flowers pedicellate; female flowers sessile; capsule transversely wrinkled |
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L. multiflora 10. |
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2. Male and female flowers sessile (however, see note to L. multiflora); capsule smooth |
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L. dura 2. |
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3. Bracts with long acute points |
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L. longifolia 8. |
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1. Inflorescence (male and female) a raceme, spike or of one or more heads; if a panicle, the branches not whorled and flowers usually 1 per bract |
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4. Inflorescence (male and female) a large head or cylindrical spike; flowers embedded in the wool-like fibres of the bracteoles |
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L. leucocephala 7. |
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4. Inflorescence a panicle, raceme or spike; bracteoles not embedding the flowers in wool-like fibres |
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5. Flowers (male and female) in clusters or globular heads |
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6. Leaves narrow and long; bracts entire |
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L. glauca 5. |
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6. Leaves of 2 types: the outer reduced to sheathing bases; bracts fringed |
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L. juncea 6. |
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5. Flowers scattered (1 per bract) |
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7. Flowers sessile or subsessile to 1 mm long |
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8. Perianth-segments all suborbicular, obtuse; leaves c. 1-3 mm broad |
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L. sororia 11. |
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8. Female perianth-segments acute; outer male segments lanceolate, acuminate; inner male segments ovate, abruptly narrowed to obtuse tips; leaves filiform, usually 0.5-1 mm diam |
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L. fibrata 4. |
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7. Flowers on pedicels at least 1 mm long |
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9. Male flowers 3-6 mm long; female flowers c. 7 mm long |
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L. effusa 3. |
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9. Male flowers 1.5-2.5 mm long; female flowers 3-5 mm long |
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10. Branches of male inflorescences 3-7 cm long; leaves filiform, terete, plano-convex or channelled, with brown or black shiny basal sheaths |
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L. micrantha 9. |
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10. Branches of male inflorescences 1-2 cm long; leaves often flat, with pale not shiny sheaths |
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L. densiflora 1. |
Author:
Not yet available
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