Description: Tufted herbaceous or shrub-like rhizomatous perennials; roots fibrous, sometimes ± fleshy; aerial stems actually inflorescences, often perennial, sometimes leafy.
Leaves few, mostly basal, usually rapidly senescent, reducing rapidly to bracts upwards.
Inflorescence irregularly paniculate, perennating; flowers solitary or paired (rarely 3) along spike-like racemules, pedicellate. Tepals ± free but very shortly connate at base, subequal, often 3-veined, spirally twisting after flowering, not usually persistent in fruit; outer tepals apiculate, apicula appendaged on upper surface. Stamens 6, epitepalous, shorter than perianth; filaments alternately unequal or subequal and then the antepetalous ones longer, glabrous or papillose; anthers introrse, becoming extrorse, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Ovules 2 per loculus, 1 erect, 1 pendulous; style filiform; stigma capitate, minute.
Fruit capsular and tardily dehiscent or nut-like and indehiscent or rupturing; seeds 1–3, ellipsoidal, black, carunculate.
Flowering: Usually briefly and under optimal conditions.
Distribution and occurrence: World: 13 species, endemic Australia. Australia: all mainland States. Usually on sand, particularly on sand dunes in inland Australia.
Corynotheca is sometimes placed in the segregate family Hemerocallidaceae.
Text by S. McCune, D. W. Hardin & R. L. Barrett, updated Apr. 2021.
Taxon concept: Barrett et al., Telopea 24: 7-52 (2021)
| One species in NSW: Corynotheca licrota |
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