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Spiny-headed Mat-rush

Perennial, rhizomatous herb with strappy leaves.

Leaves

Glossy green, firm and flat. Long and thin up to 1 m long and roughly 1 cm wide. Leaves are usually taller than the flowering stem. Leaf base is broad with brownish edges. Tips of leaves have teeth.

Flowers

Grow in a whorled cluster attached to a straw-coloured bracts. Individual flowers are roughly 4mm long, but the cluster and leaf grow to 50 cm. Have a strong scent. Flower head is brown – during flowering petals are creamy yellow.

Fruits/Seeds

Globular capsule. Mature then turn brown.

Field Guide

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  • Species Category: Plants
  • Species origin: Native
  • Conservation status: Common
  • Did You Know?
    • First Nations people use the leaves to make strong baskets and nets, and also use the fruit as a food source

  • What to Observe

    • First fully open single flower

    • Full flowering (record all days)

    • End of flowering (when 95% of the flowers have faded)

    • No flowering

    • Fruiting

  • When and Where

    When To Look

    • Flowering occurs in warm temperatures (September to February)
    • Fruiting occurs 1 - 2 months after flowering

    Where To Look

    • Victoria, NSW, Queensland, Tasmania
    • In sandy soils, swamps, wet habitats such as the banks of creeks
    • Found in open forests and rocky hillsides
    • Widely planted in urban gardens

  • What Else?

    Similar Species

    Lomandra hystrix differs in leaf apex and contains paler flowers.
  • Trails: Ecolinc Bacchus Marsh VIC, Gresswell Forest VIC, Haining Farm VIC, Randwick Coastal Walkway NSW, Randwick Environmental Park NSW, Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne VIC, Sunshine Coast Currimundi QLD, Sunshine Coast Kawana Forest QLD, Taroona High School TAS, Yarra River Main Yarra Trail opp Darling Gardens VIC, Valley Lake SA, Sunshine Coast Doonan Creek QLD
  • Species Region: Australia