''Lomandra'', commonly known as mat rushes,
is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of
perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...
,
herbaceous monocots
Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, ( Lilianae '' sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. They constitute one of ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Asparagaceae, subfamily
Lomandroideae
Lomandroideae is a subfamily of monocot flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, order Asparagales, according to the APG III system of 2009. The subfamily name is derived from the generic name of the type genus, '' Lomandra''. The group ...
.
There are 51 species, all of which are native to
Australia; two of them also extend into
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...
and
New Caledonia.
They are generally tufted
dioecious perennials with long narrow blade-like leaves that arise from a central stemless base and have thick woody
rhizomes and fibrous roots.
[
]
Taxonomy
Now in the Asparagaceae, this genus was formerly assigned to the family Dasypogonaceae
Dasypogonaceae is a family of flowering plants, one that has not been commonly recognized by taxonomists; the plants it contains were usually included in the family Xanthorrhoeaceae. If valid, Dasypogonaceae includes four genera with 16 species. ...
, Xanthorrhoeaceae
''Xanthorrhoea'' () is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants endemic to Australia. Species are known by the name grass tree.
Description
All are perennials and have a secondary thickening meristem in the stem. Many, but not all, ...
, or Liliaceae
The lily family, Liliaceae, consists of about 15 genera and 610 species of flowering plants within the order Liliales. They are monocotyledonous, perennial, herbaceous, often bulbous geophytes. Plants in this family have evolved with a fair a ...
.
Species
According to the ''World Checklist of Selected Plant Families'', there are 51 species recognised :[, search for "''Lomandra''"]
References
''Lomandra''.
FloraBase, the Western Australia Flora. Retrieved 23 February 2007.
Genus ''Lomandra''.
Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 23 February 2007.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5233357
Asparagaceae genera
Asparagales of Australia
Dioecious plants