Thysanotus glaucus
| Thysanotus glaucus | |
|---|---|
Priority Four — Rare Taxa (DEC) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Asparagaceae |
| Subfamily: | Lomandroideae |
| Genus: | Thysanotus |
| Species: | T. glaucus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Thysanotus glaucus | |
Thysanotus glaucus is a species of flowering plant in the Asparagaceae family, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tufted, glaucous, perennial herb, with about 20 to 30 terete leaves, umbels of up to 10 purple flowers, linear sepals, elliptic, fringed petals, three stamens and a curved style.
Description
Thysanotus glaucus is a tufted, glaucous, perennial herb with a small rootstock and fibrous roots. Its ten to twenty leaves are apparently perennial, about 50–100 mm (2.0–3.9 in) long, 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) wide at the base, terete, and bluish-glaucous at the base. The flowers are borne in panicles 17–21 mm (0.67–0.83 in) long, four or five branched in the upper 4–5 cm (1.6–2.0 in), the umbels with up to ten flowers on a pedicel 6–7 mm (0.24–0.28 in) long. The flowers are purple, the perianth segments 12–13 mm (0.47–0.51 in) long. The sepals are linear, 2.0–2.5 mm (0.079–0.098 in) wide and the petals are elliptic, 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) wide with a fringe 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long. There are three stamens, the anthers about 7 mm (0.28 in) long. The style is curved, about 6 mm (0.24 in) long. Flowering occurs from October to December or from January to March.[2][3]
Taxonomy
Thysanotus glaucus was first formally described in 1846 by Stephan Endlicher in Lehmann's Plantae Preissianae from specimens collected at "Bull's Creek" in 1841.[4][5] The specific epithet (glaucus) means 'having a bluish-grey or -green bloom'.[6]
Distribution and habitat
This species of Thysanotus grows in low woodland, in sand or sandy gravel, from near Jurien Bay to south of Busselton in the Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest, Mallee and Swan Coastal Plain bioregions of Western Australia.[2][3]
Conservation status
Thysanotus glaucus is listed as "Priority Four" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions,[3] meaning that is rare or near threatened.[7]
References
- ^ "Thysanotus glaucus". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
- ^ a b Brittan, Norman H. "Thysanotus glaucus". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
- ^ a b c "Thysanotus glaucus". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ^ "Thysanotus glaucus". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
- ^ Endlicher, Stephen; Lehmann, Johann Georg Christian (1846). Plantae preissianae sive enumeratio plantarum quas in australasia occidentali et meridionali-occidentali annis 1838-1841 collegit Ludovicus Preiss. Vol. 2. Hamburg: Sumptibus Meissneri. p. 38. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ George, Alex S.; Sharr, Francis A. (2023). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings - A Glossary (fifth ed.). Kardinya: Four Gables Press. p. 211. ISBN 9780645629538.
- ^ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 6 November 2025.