Thysanotus asper
Thysanotus asper, commonly known as hairy fringe lily, is a species of flowering plant in the Asparagaceae family, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a clumping perennial herb with a small rootstock, stiff linear leaves, and umbels of purple flowers with elliptic, fringed petals, linear sepals, six stamens and a curved style.
Description
Thysanotus asper is a clumping perennial herb with a small rootstock and fibrous roots and 10 to 50 stiff, striated perennial leaves long about wide with hairs on the outer surface. The flowers are borne in umbels of four or five flowers on up to five flowering stems long, each flower on a pedicel about long. The flowers are purple, with perianth segments about long, the sepals linear, wide, the petals elliptic, wide with a fringe about long. There are six stamens and the style is curved, about long. Flowering occurs from October to December or January and the seed is more or less spherical, about long in diameter with an almost black aril.
Taxonomy
Thysanotus asper was first formally described in 1840 by John Lindley in his A [Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony]. The specific epithet means 'rough to the touch'.
Distribution and habitat
This species of Thysanotus grows in yellow or calcareous sand in a wide range of habitats, including sandplain and jarrah - marri forest in the Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest and Swan Coastal Plain bioregions of south-western Western Australia.
Conservation status
Thysanotus asper is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.