Midstorey

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Spiny-headed mat-rush Lomandra longifolia

Also called Basket grass

When it flowers

Lomandra longifolia (Spiny-head Mat-rush or Basket Grass) cultivated near Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. Photographed on 13 March 2009.
Lomandra longifolia (Spiny-head Mat-rush or Basket Grass) cultivated near Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. Photographed on 13 March 2009.. Photo: Arthur Chapman, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Lomandra longifolia at Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas, California, USA. Identified by sign.
Lomandra longifolia at Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas, California, USA. Identified by sign.. Photo: Stickpen, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Lomandra longifolia at the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College in El Cajon, California, USA. Identified by sign.
Lomandra longifolia at the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College in El Cajon, California, USA. Identified by sign.. Photo: Stickpen, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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Near-indestructible strappy plant for mass planting, banks and verges.

Grows in sun or shade, wet or dry, and most soils. Fragrant cream flower spikes appear in spring, and the clumps shelter small lizards and insects.

In the garden

  • Street or verge
  • Mass planting
  • Banks and slopes
  • Under trees
  • Pond and bog edges
Scent
Fragrant flowers
Leaves
Long strappy leaves.
Flowers
Spiky cream flower heads with a sweet scent.
Attracts
Butterflies and shelter for small wildlife

Growing conditions

Light
Full sun to full shade
Soil
Sandy, loam and clay
Drainage
Copes with waterlogging
Frost
Hard frost
Water
Very drought tolerant
Coast
Sheltered coastal gardens
Climate
Subtropical, temperate and cool and alpine

Planting and care

Grown from
Seed and division

Pruning

Cut back hard every few years to refresh tired clumps.

Care

Cut back hard every few years to refresh.

Where it comes from

Native to
ACT, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria
Natural range
Eastern Australia, from Queensland to Tasmania and South Australia.

Cultivars and forms

  • Tanika lomandra Lomandra longifolia 'Tanika' 0.5–0.6 m, grass or strappy

    Grass or strappy, 0.5–0.6 m tall, 0.5–0.6 m wide
    Full sun to full shade

    Add

Where to buy

Widely available.

We don't have stockists listed for this plant yet. Local native nurseries are often the best place to ask.

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Further reading