Common name: Irongrass
Lomandra patens A.T.Lee APNI* 
Description: Tufted perennial herb, robust.
Leaves ± flat or inrolled, 40–100 cm long, 2.5–4.5 mm wide, smooth; apex rounded; sheath margins intact or slightly lacerated, white, grey or brown.
Male and female inflorescences similar, longer or slightly shorter than leaves, 1- or 2-branched; branches in whorls; scape shorter than rachis, flattened or somewhat compressed; flower clusters whorled. Cluster bracts conspicuous only at lower nodes of main axis, acuminate, those among flowers obscure, much shorter than flower; bract and inner bract white. Flowers campanulate. Male flowers 4–6 mm long, sessile or on a pedicel with up to 1 mm visible above bracts. Female flowers sessile, mature length unknown. Tepals similar except outer one thicker; outer tepals purple or yellowish purple; inner tepals yellow.
Flowering: mainly June–July.
Distribution and occurrence: Usually grows in tall open scrub on rocky hillsides; from Wellington to Mootwingee N.P.
NSW subdivisions: CWS, NWP, SWP, NFWP
Other Australian states: N.T.
Similar to L. multiflora but differs in being a larger plant with longer inflorescences that are always well-branched in both sexes, and in having well-developed pistillodes c. 1.5 mm long in male flowers compared with minute ones in L. multiflora.
Text by A. L. Quirico
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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