''Lomandra'', commonly known as mat rushes, is a genus of perennial,

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

monocots in the family

Asparagaceae Asparagaceae, known as the asparagus family, is a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots. The family name is based on the edible garden asparagus, ''Asparagus officinalis''. Those who live in the temperate c ...

, subfamily Lomandroideae. There are 51 species, all of which are native to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

; two of them also extend into New Guinea and

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

. They are generally tufted

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

perennials with long narrow blade-like leaves that arise from a central stemless base and have thick woody

rhizomes In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

and fibrous roots.

Taxonomy

Now in the Asparagaceae, this genus was formerly assigned to the family Dasypogonaceae, Xanthorrhoeaceae, or Liliaceae.

Species

According to the ''World Checklist of Selected Plant Families'', there are 51 species recognised :, search for "''Lomandra''"

References

''Lomandra''.
FloraBase, the Western Australia Flora. Retrieved 23 February 2007.
Genus ''Lomandra''.
Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 23 February 2007. {{Taxonbar, from=Q5233357 Asparagaceae genera Asparagales of Australia Dioecious plants