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Botanical Name:Lomandra filiformis ssp. coriacea
3 synonyms:   Dracaena filiformis , Xerotes filiformis , Xerotes thunbergii
Common Name:wattle mat-rush
Sold As:Tube ($2.00)
Plant
Type(s):
Lily, Grass Like / Strappy, Butterfly Attracting, Insect Attracting, Indigenous Plant Use
Indigenous Plant Use:Nectar for food, and the leaves for basket makingCAUTION: Many plants are poisonous if not collected and prepared properly!
Growing
Conditions:
Full Sun, Partial Shade
Sandy, Clay, Moist, Well Drained
Size
(HxW):
15 x 50 cm
Foliage:Narrow pointed stiff blue-green to green leaves to 2-5mm wide.
Flowers:Yellow flowerheads to 18cm long on fine short branches. The flowers are reminiscent of small wattle buds. Male flowers are ball-shaped, while female flowers are more tubular. Male and female flowers are on separate plants. Flowers from September to March. The fruits are roundish capsules clustered along the flower-spike. The capsules are brown when ripe. Each contains 2-3 hard seeds that are cream, brown, orange or reddish.
General
Comments:

Lightly tufted grass-like perennial herb with a semi-arching habit, spreading by underground stems. Prefers moist sites but tolerates dry shade once established.

An attractive hardy plant useful for rockeries, mass plantings and borders. Suitable for
containers. Drought and frost tolerant. It provides useful habitat for ground fauna. It attracts butterflies, and provides food for caterpillars of native butterflies and moths.

This is a low maintenance plant but may require occasional pruning to remove tattered ends. It is not subject to any known pests and diseases. Once established this species requires very little to no irrigation, making it a low water use plant. As it is slow growing it is ideal as a container plant.



Further
Information:
  1. Whitehorse Council
  2. Yarra Ranges Council (Victora, close to us)
  3. Greening Australia
  4. Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (VICFLORA, technical, good photos)
  5. Wikipedia (free online encyclopedia)
  6. Australian National Botanic Garden
  7. iNaturalist
  8. Royal Botanic Gardens (Kew UK, technical)
Plant
Propagation:

https://www.greeningaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/FACT-SHEET_Lomandra_filiformis.pdf

Seed collecting is from late January to late February. Monitor closely as mature seeds shed quickly  Seed
is dispersed locally.


To collect, cut the stems with secateurs and place upside down in a large bag. The seed will be easier to extract if the capsules are still attached to the stems. Threshing may be required to fully extract seed.

L. filiformis appears to only set low quantities of seeds every 3-5 years.

Soaking seeds in warm water 24 hours prior to sowing will help break their dormancy.  Their germination rate is low and they can take between 4 to 12 weeks or even longer to emerge.



Click the following thumbnails to open them in gallery view (generally enlarging them)


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