Thysanotus formosus


Thysanotus formosus is a species of flowering plant in the Asparagaceae family, and is endemic to a small area in the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tufted perennial herb, with three or four terete leaves, large purple flowers, linear sepals, elliptic, fringed petals, six stamens and an erect style.

Description

Thysanotus formosus is a tufted perennial herb with somewhat fleshy horizontal roots. Its three or four leaves are produced annually, about long and glaucous, surrounded by old leaf bases. The flowers are borne in four or five more or less sessile umbels, each with two or three flowers. The flowers are purple, the outer tepals about long, the petals elliptical with a fringe about long. The sepals are linear, about wide and there are six stamens, the anthers slightly twisted and about long, the style is about long. The capsule is cylindrical, long and wide containing black seeds with a yellow aril
This species is distinguished from others in the genus, by its large flowers, borne in sessile umbels.

Taxonomy

Thysanotus formosus was first formally described in 1960 by Norman Henry Brittan in the Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia from specimens he collected west of Nannup in 1953. The specific epithet means 'beautiful', on account of form.

Distribution and habitat

This species of Thysanotus is only known from an area about south-west of Nannup where it grows in heavy clay soils that are often inundated in winter, in jarrah forest, in the Jarrah Forest bioregion of south-western Western Australia.

Conservation status

Thysanotus formosus is listed as "Priority One" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, meaning that it is known from only one or a few locations that are potentially at risk.