Thysanotus tenellus, commonly known as grassy fringe-lily, is a species of flowering plant in the Asparagaceae family, and is endemic to the south-west of Australia. It is a tufted perennial herb with a small rootstock, tuberous roots, about 5 to 27 linear, usually hairy, channnelled leaves and umbels of up to four purple, sometimes white flowers with lance-shaped sepals, elliptic, fringed petals and six stamens.
Description Thysanotus tenellus is a perennial herb with a small rootstock. Its roots are tuberous, the tubers stalked about long. Five to 27 leaves are produced annually, channelled and ridged on the lower surface, long with the edges usually hairy. The flowers are borne in panicles long with up to four umbels, each flower on a pedical long. The perianth segments are long, the sepals lance-shaped, about wide and the petals are purple, sometimes white, about wide with a fringe about wide. There are six stamens, the outer three anthers long and the three inner anthers long. The style is about long. Flowering occurs from September to November, and the seeds are more or less spherical, about in diameter with a straw-coloured aril.
Taxonomy Thysanotus tenellus was first formally described in 1846 by Stephan Endlicher in Lehmann's Plantae Preissianae from specimens collected in October 1840. The specific epithet (tenellus) means 'delicate'.
Distribution and habitat This species of Thysanotus grows in granite, loam, sandy clay or sand in swamps, in the Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest, Swan Coastal Plain and Warren bioregions of south-western Western Australia and in South Australia.
Conservation status Thysanotus tenellus is listed as 'not threatened' by the Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
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