''Thysanotus tuberosus'', known as the common fringe-lily is a

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 wide ...

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

which is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The species name ''tuberosus'' refers to the crisp tasting edible root. The leaves are linear in shape, and round at cross section towards the top. The plant grows from 20 cm to 60 cm tall. It grows in a wide variety of situations, from semi-arid parts of south eastern Australia to coastal areas receiving more than 1300 mm of rain per year. They are often found in open country, heathlands or in dry sclerophyll woodland. Flowers form from September to April. The three petaled flowers are purple, with frilly edges, and only last for one day. They are among the more colorful wildflowers in south eastern Australia.

Sub-species

The

tepal A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...

s are somewhat longer and wider in ''subsp. tuberosus'', being 10 to 19 mm long, and around 10 mm wide. In ''subsp. parviflorus'' the inner

anther The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s are smaller, and straight to slightly curved.

Notes

References

* * http://www.friendsoflanecovenationalpark.org.au/Flowering/Flowers/Thysanotus_tuberosus.htm Asparagales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Flora of Victoria (state) Flora of South Australia Edible plants Lomandroideae {{Australia-plant-stub