Thysanotus gracilis
Thysanotus gracilis is a species of flowering plant in the Asparagaceae family, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tufted, slender perennial herb, with a few narrowly lance-shaped leaves, and umbels of one or two purple flowers with linear to oblong sepals, elliptic, fringed petals and six stamens.
Description
Thysanotus gracilis is a tufted, slender, perennial herb with a rhizome about in diameter and fibrous roots. It has only a few narrowly lance-shaped leaves, long, and produced annually, and branched stems up to long. The flowers are borne in one or two umbels on pedicels about long. The flowers are purple, the perianth segments long. The sepals are linear to oblong, about wide and the petals are elliptic, about wide with a fringe long. There are six stamens, the anthers long and the style is about long. Flowering occurs from November to December or from January to March and the seeds are elliptic, about long and wide with a pale yellow aril.
Taxonomy
Thysanotus gracilis was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown in his Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae. The specific epithet means 'thin' or 'slender'.
Distribution and habitat
This species of Thysanotus grows in open woodland, in lateritic to loamy soils, from about north of Perth to the Albany area in the Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest, Swan Coastal Plain and Warren bioregions of Western Australia.
Conservation status
Thysanotus gracilis is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.