Thysanotus dichotomus
| Thysanotus dichotomus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Asparagaceae |
| Subfamily: | Lomandroideae |
| Genus: | Thysanotus |
| Species: | T. dichotomus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Thysanotus dichotomus | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
List
| |
Thysanotus dichotomus, commonly known as branching fringe lily,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the Asparagaceae family, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a rhizomatous, branched, perennial herb, with umbels of up to 3 purple flowers with oblong sepals, elliptic, fringed petals, six stamens and a curved style.
Description
Thysanotus dichotomus is a perennial herb with more or less spherical rhizomes up to about 50 mm (2.0 in) in diameter. Its 5 to 10 leaves are produced annually, narrowly lance-shaped, 80–140 mm (3.1–5.5 in) long with a fringe of hairs on the edges, but the leaves usually wither before flowering. The flowering stems are perennial, up to 600 mm (24 in) long and branched. The flowers are purple and borne groups of up to 3 on a pedicel 6–10 mm (0.24–0.39 in) long, the perianth segments 10–18 mm (0.39–0.71 in) long. The sepals are oblong, 1.5–3 mm (0.059–0.118 in) wide, the petals elliptic, 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) wide with a fringe 2.0–3.5 mm (0.079–0.138 in) wide. There are six stamens, the anthers of different lengths, and the style curved, 6–9 mm (0.24–0.35 in) long. Flowering occurs from September to December or January, and the seeds are more or less cylindrical, about 2 mm (0.079 in) long and 1 mm (0.039 in) in diameter with a pale, yellowish aril.[2][3][4]
Taxonomy
This species was first formally described in 1805 by Jacques Labillardière who gave it the name Ornithogalum dichotomum in his Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen.[5][6] In 1810, Robert Brown transferred it to the genus, Thysanotus as T. dichotomus.[7][8]
Distribution and habitat
Branching fringe lily is found from near Geraldton to east of Esperance in the Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance Plains, Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest, Mallee, Swan Coastal Plain, Warren and Yalgoo bioregions of south-western Western Australia.[2] Along the Darling Range it grows in jarrah-marri forest on soils derived from granite, or with granite rocks in drier inland areas.[3]
Conservation status
Thysanotus dichotomus is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.[2]
References
- ^ a b "Thysanotus dichotomus". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Thysanotus dichotomus". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ^ a b N.H.Brittan (2022). "Thysanotus dichotomus". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ Corrick, Margaret G.; Fuhrer, Bruce A. (2009). Wildflowers of southern Western Australia (Third ed.). Dural, New South Wales: Rosenberg Publishing. p. 95.
- ^ "Ornithogalum dichotomum". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ de Labillardière, Jacques Julien Houton (1805). Novæ Hollandiæ plantarum specimen. Paris: Ex typographia Dominæ Huzard. pp. 83–84. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ "Thysanotus dichotomus". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ Brown, Robert (1810), Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae et insulae Van-Diemen, exhibens characteres plantarum quas annis 1802–1805, London: R. Taylor et socii, p. 284, doi:10.5962/BHL.TITLE.3678, Wikidata Q7247677