Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Lomandra confertifolia

Flowers and leaves (subsp. pallida). Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Muray Fagg, Carnarvon National Park, Qld

Flowers and leaves (subsp. rubiginosa). Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Muray Fagg, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra

Flowering plant (subsp. similis). Photographer Don Wood, Benandarah State Forest north east of Batemans Bay

Common name

A Mat-rush

Family

Asparagaceae

Where found

Forest. Widespread. Few records from Kosciuszko National Park.

subsp. leptostachya:  Coast, ranges, and the eastern edge of the tablelands, mostly south from the Nowra district.

subsp. pallida:  Coast, ranges, and tablelands, north of Wollongong.

subsp. rubiginosa:  Coast, ranges, tablelands, and the western slopes.

subsp. similis:   Coast, ranges, and tablelands, south from Morton National Park west of Nowra. Occasionally elsewhere.

Notes

Perennial herb, sprawling or erect, sometimes tufted. Flower stems flattened. Leaves basal, 8–70 cm long, 0.3–2.5 mm wide, the tips 2- or 3-toothed, 1 or both lateral teeth longer than the central tooth. Male and female flowers on different plants. Flowers with 6 'petals'. Male flowers 3–3.5 mm long, female flowers about 4.5 mm long. Outer 'petals' dry, shiny, purplish or yellow; inner 'petals' dull, fleshy, yellow or cream. Male inflorescence variable in size but usually rather small. Female inflorescence often smaller, sometimes virtually concealed among the leaf bases. Bracts below the individual flower clusters conspicuous or inconspicuous, brown or whitish.

subsp. leptostachya   Plant stems usually more or less elongated, erect to spreading, or occasionally rather sprawling. Leaves concavo-convex or channelled, straight, rather stiff, usually 21–70 cm long, 0.5–1.5 mm wide. Margins of the basal leaf sheaths lacerated, pale brown or white. Male and female inflorescences similar, a quarter to three-quarters as long as the leaves, unbranched or branched; axis of the inflorescence below the flowers much longer than the length of the inflorescenc. Flowers in whorled few-flowered clusters, or the flower single. Bracts below the individual flower clusters rather inconspicuous, usually longer than the flowers, brown or pale brown. 

subsp. pallida Plant stems short, largely concealed by the leaves, or elongated, relatively stout (old part of the stem 4.5 mm in diameter or more). Leaves flat, concavo-convex or channelled, the margins sometimes rolled upwards, 30–70 cm long, 1–2.5 mm wide. Margins of the basal leaf sheaths intact or lacerated, usually whitish, occasionally reddish brown. Male inflorescence mostly about a quarter or occasionally half as long as the leaves, usually branched; axis of the flower cluster below the flowers concealed or exposed, shorter than or equal to the length of the inflorescence. Female inflorescence smaller, unbranched; the axis of the inflorescence below the flowers concealed. Bracts below the individual flower clusters much longer than the flowers, whitish.

subsp. rubiginosa  Plant stems short or elongated, slender (old part of the stems less than 4 mm in diameter). Leaves concavo-convex or channelled, 15–50 cm long, 0.3–1.5 mm wide. Margins of the basal leaf sheaths lacerated, dark brown or reddish brown. Male inflorescence 0.2–0.5 times as long as the leaves, unbranched or with a few short branches; axis of the inflorescence below the flowers exposed for 1–12 cm.. Individual flower clusters 1–few-flowered  or whorled. Female inflorescence poorly known, unbranched; axis below the flowers short, exposed. Bracts below the individual lower clusters 0.5–4 cm long, shorter to longer than the flowers, brown.

subsp. similis   Flower stems elongated, more or less erect, slender. Leaves flat, rather limp, often curved, 8–35 cm long, 0.5–1.5 mm wide. Margins of the basal leaf sheaths slightly to much lacerated, red-brown. Flowers yellow. Male inflorescence a quarter to a third as long as the leaves, branched; branches few. Axis of the inflorescence below the flowers shorter than the length of the inflorescence. Flowers in whorled clusters.. Female inflorescence smaller, almost concealed among the leaf bases. Bracts below the individual flower clusters inconspicuous, longer than or shorter than the flowers, brown to golden brown.

Family Lomandraceae in PlantNET.

PlantNET description of species and key to subspecies:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Lomandra~confertifolia (accessed (accessed 13 April 2021)