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Genus Lomandra Family Asparagaceae

Synonyms: Xerotes APNI*

Description: Dioecious perennial herbs.

Leaves with distinctive sheathing basal margins, linear or terete, glabrous, papillose, warty or hairy; apex entire or toothed.

Male and female inflorescences similar or dissimilar, spike-like, raceme-like or panicle-like; flowers separate or in dense or open clusters, small. Female perianth usually larger than male, hardened in fruit; tepals free or fused, all similar or the outer tepals thinner. Outer stamens sometimes inserted on rim of perianth tube; inner inserted on perianth, close to or distant from the outer, their filaments ± different in length. Ovary ± sessile; ovule 1 per loculus; style short.

Capsule globose, cylindrical or trigonous; seeds globose to ellipsoidal, brown, orange or reddish.


Distribution and occurrence: World: 50 species, Australia, New Guinea & New Caledonia. Australia: 50 species (48 species endemic), all States.

Lomandra is sometimes placed in the segregate family Lomandraceae.

Text by A.L. Quirico
Taxon concept:

Taxa not yet included in identification key
Lomandra briggsiana,    Lomandra ramosissima,    Lomandra sp. Tenterfield (L.M. Copeland 3546 & I.R. Telford)

 Key to the species 
1Mature and undamaged leaf tips distinctly toothed either with 2 marginal teeth and a clean sinus (longer or shorter than marginal teeth) or with 3 distinct teeth and small marginal teeth, irregularly disposed near the apex, with the central tooth clearly a sinus, or small marginal teeth exceeding 2 lateral teeth2
Leaves not distinctly toothed at apex, with entire, acute or rounded apex, or with 2 or 3 irregular minute points near the apex eroding at maturity, occasionally persisting in Lomandra filiformis subsp. filiformis and L. coriacea8
2Flowers 4–7 mm long; male flowers with pedicels to 1 cm, and arranged separately along axesLomandra effusa
Flowers mostly 2–3 mm long; male flowers sessile, clustered, usually whorled on axes, occasionally clusters reduced to few or 1 flower
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3
3Male inflorescence usually unbranched; female inflorescence unbranched or rarely branched4
Male inflorescence branched; female inflorescence branched or unbranched
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6
4Leaves 4–12 mm wide; male rachis 10–30 cm longLomandra spicata
Leaves usually less than 4 mm wide; male rachis less than 8 cm long
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5
5Leaves soft, thin, and flexible, 2–4 mm wide; grows near waterfallsLomandra montana
Leaves firmer in texture, up to 1.5 mm wide, widespread, usually not near waterfalls
                       Back to 4
Lomandra confertifolia
6Leaves less than 3 mm wideLomandra fluviatilis
Leaves more than 4.5 mm wide
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7
7Inflorescence much branched, with usually 4 or more primary branches per node, often pale green in aspect, usually near watercoursesLomandra hystrix
Inflorescence less branched, usually with 2 primary branches per node, aspect cream-yellowish, in varied situations including creek beds and banks, as well as dry rocky hillsides
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Lomandra longifolia
8Flowers in distinct clusters, male flowers sessile to long pedicellate9
Flowers separate, (or up to 3 at node), male flowers pedicellate, pedicels at least 1 mm long
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15
9Bracts subtending flowers forming a mass of crinkly hairsLomandra leucocephala
Bracts subtending flowers entire or only slightly split; inflorescence not as above
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10
10Tepals divided to base11
Tepals fused in lower half
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12
11Inflorescence simple or few- to many-branched, the axes minutely rough, scape not flattened; male flowers usually 2–3 mm long, pedicellate at anthesis, pedicel 3–8 mm longLomandra multiflora
Inflorescence (at least male) much-branched, the axes smooth, scape flattened; male flowers usually 4–6 mm long, sessile or on a pedicel with up to 1 mm visible above bracts
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Lomandra patens
12Margins of leaf sheaths intact (sometimes lacerating when old), auriculate at top, white; leaves usually less than 4 cm long, often twisted and/or recurved from stemLomandra obliqua
Margins of leaf sheaths more or less lacerated, lattice like; leaves usually more than 4 cm long; usually not twisted or recurved from stem
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13
13Margins of leaf sheaths abruptly narrowed at top (obvious on young leaves); leaf apex short-acute (to rounded truncate); eastern parts of State14
Margins of leaf sheaths gradually narrowed at top; apex long-acute; western plains species
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Lomandra collina
14Stems decumbent, prostrate or ascending; male inflorescence branched or unbranched, usually 10 cm long; male scape usually not exposed above leaf bases or rarely exposed up to 2.5 cm; leaves usually 8–20 cm long, up to 4 times as long as male inflorescence, leaf apex shortly acute to rounded-truncateLomandra glauca
Stems not decumbent, plants normally tufted; male inflorescence unbranched, usually 5–8 cm long; male scape exposed c. 1 cm above leaf bases; leaves usually 25–40 cm long, at least 5 times as long as male inflorescence, leaf apex shortly acute
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Lomandra elongata
15All tepals similar in size and shape, the flower widely open at maturityLomandra micrantha
Outer and inner tepals dissimilar (outer tepals shorter than inner tepals), the flower remaining bell-shaped
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16
16Plants decumbentLomandra laxa
Plants tufted, sometimes sparsely so
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17
17Leaves usually tereteLomandra cylindrica
Leaves not terete but sometimes rolled into a complete cylinder
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18
18Male inflorescence unbranched or narrowly pyramidal, 1 to few short branches in lower part; female inflorescence unbranched or with few branches19
Male inflorescence clearly branched, more or less broadly pyramidal; female inflorescence branched or unbranched
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20
19Leaves channelled to slightly inrolled, 0.5–1 mm wide, apex entire, margins of sheath finely lacerated; inflorescence axes smooth; flowers yellow, blackish when dried; male flowers usually 3 mm long, 3–4 mm diam. with pedicel 3–4 mm longLomandra brevis
Leaves flat, channelled or rolled, 0.5–4 mm wide or wider, apex entire or with 2 or 3 minute irregular points sometimes eroded, margins of sheath with some lacerations, more or less smooth; inflorescence axes smooth or scabrous; flowers yellow, not usually blackened when dried; male flowers usually 1.5 mm long, 1.5–2 mm diam. with pedicel usually 2–3 mm long
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Lomandra filiformis
20Male inflorescence short; flowers crowded; scape short or obscure among the leaf bases21
Male inflorescence sometimes short but flowers well spaced; scape short or long
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22
21Outer bracts large and white, conspicuous relative to the very small flowers; female flowers scarcely distinguishable from the male without dissectionLomandra bracteata
Outer bracts not large and white but bracts subtending lower branches of inflorescence sometimes conspicuous; female flowers readily distinguishable from the male
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Lomandra filiformis
22Branches of the inflorescence predominantly alternate23
Branches of the inflorescence predominately opposite or whorled
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Lomandra laxa
23Leaves semitereteLomandra cylindrica
Leaves usually channelled, folded, inrolled or flat
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24
24Leaf sheath margins dark purplish brown; inflorescence usually large, open, the axes smooth at least in maleLomandra gracilis
Leaf sheath margins pale or white, occasionally partly purplish brown; inflorescence small to large, the axes sometimes more or less scabrid near apex
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Lomandra filiformis

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