Thysanotus banksii R.Br.

Species

Angiosperms > Asparagales > Asparagaceae > Thysanotus

Characteristics

Rootstock small; roots tuberous; tubers not seen. Leaves annual, usually 3-5, linear, channelled below, ±terete above, 20-60 cm long, c. 1 mm wide. Inflorescence simple or with few branches, 22-60 cm long; umbels usually 1-or 2-flowered, terminal, occasionally sessile ones below; pedicels 5-10 mm long, articulated near base, apparently erect and to 16 mm long in fruit. Perianth segments 7-18 mm long. Sepals lanceolate, c. 2 mm wide, acute-mucronate; margins broad. Petals elliptic, c. 5 mm wide; fimbriae c. 1 mm long. Stamens 6; anthers twisted, 3 outer 2-3 mm long, 3 inner 3.5-6 mm long and curved. Style c. 5 mm long. Seeds ±spherical, c. 1.5-2 mm diam.; aril straw-coloured.
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A delicate herb. It grows 60 cm high. Under the ground there is a tuber which produces above ground parts each year. There are usually 3-5 leaves growing from the base. They are very thin and narrow. They can be 20-60 cm long by 0.1 cm wide. The flowers have mauve to purple streaks. Flowers are about 2 cm across. Usually 1 or 2 flowers occur together on the end of 60 cm long stalks. The fruit are round papery capsules. They are 0.5 cm across. There are several black seeds inside.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.6
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a tropical plant. Plants grow naturally in open forest among tall annual wet-season grasses. They can grow in seasonal swamps on sandy soils.
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Recorded in eucalypt forest, moist tea-tree flats and on pebbly lateritic ridges.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 8-12

Usage

The underground tuber is cooked and eaten.
Uses -
Edible roots tubers
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Thysanotus banksii world distribution map, present in Australia

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:542180-1
WFO ID wfo-0000748828
COL ID 56TVS
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Chlamysporum banksii Thysanotus paniculatus Thysanotus banksii