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Thysanotus

Thysanotus is a genus of about 60 species of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, mostly native to Western Australia. Plants in the genus are perennial herbs with bisexual flowers arranged singly or in groups of up to 50, with 6 mauve or blue tepals and the fruit a capsule surrounded by the remains of the perianth.

Description

Plants in the genus Thysanotus are perennial herbs with fibrous roots or a tuber, and sometimes form a rhizome. The leaves are linear and arranged at the base of the plant, sometimes withered when the flowers open, or the plant is leafless. The flowers are arranged singly or in panicles or cymes of up to 50, the six tepals mauve or blue, the outer tepals with a membranous border and the inner tepals with a fringed edge. There are usually 6 stamens, the ovary usually with 2 ovules per locule, and the fruit a capsule in the remains of the perianth. The seeds are black with an aril.

Taxonomy

The genus Thysanotus was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown in his Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen. The genus name Thysanotus means 'fringed', referring to the inner tepals.

Species list

The following is a list of species of Thysanotus accepted by Plants of the World Online as at June 2025:

Distribution

Species of Thysanotus are mainly native to Australia, but two species (T. banksii and T. tuberosus) also occur in New Guinea, and one species (T. chinensis) is found as far north as China.

See also

References