Lomandra scabrifolia Jian Wang ter & B.Gray

Wang, Jian & Gray, Bruce, 2024, Two new species of Lomandra (Asparagaceae: Lomandroideae) from north Queensland, Australia, Phytotaxa 646 (3), pp. 293-300 : 294-296

Lomandra scabrifolia Jian Wang ter & B.Gray , sp. nov.

Type: — AUSTRALIA. Queensland: North Kennedy District, 3.8km from Silver Valley Rd towards Irvinebank , 17.4867°S, 145.2583°E, 920 m, 5 February 2023, B. Gray 10093 (holotype BRI!, isotypes CANB!, CNS!, K!) .

Lomandra sp. Stannary Hills (BG 9946) ( Gunn et al. 2024).

Diagnosis:— Lomandra scabrifolia resembles L. grayi Jian Wang ter, but differs in having bluish green, glaucous and scabrous leaves; the leaf apex usually rounded to obtuse without teeth; the significantly shorter male and female inflorescences, and male flower pedicels; the fewer male flowers, and the shorter female pedicel ( Table 1 ).

Description:—Plants are tussocks with condensed ascending rhizomes, each tussock comprising up to 20 or more tufts (stems). Each tuft is 3–7 mm in diameter at the base. Leaves firm and upright, arranged distichously or irregularly. Leaf sheath margins at first membranous or cartilaginous, fraying into strips or fibres, 1.5–4 cm long, straw-coloured, reddish brown or dark brown. Leaf blades bluish green and glaucous, scabrid, usually strongly involuted, flatten out towards the tips; with (6–)8–16(–20) parallel veins on each surface; the margins coarsely serrulate; leaf apex rounded to acute or obtuse without teeth. Leaves of male and female plants similar, 20–60 cm long, 1.1–2(–3) mm wide. Male and female inflorescences a raceme. Male inflorescence 1–3(–5) per tuft, each 20–30(–45) mm long; scape flattened, irregularly channelled and smooth, 10–20 mm long, 0.8–1.2 mm wide, white; rachis flattened, irregularly channelled, 10–15(–25) mm long, 0.5–1 mm wide, verrucate, same colour as scape; basal bracts between scape and rachis up to 10, long- to short-deltoid, 4–6 mm long and 0.5–2 mm wide at the base that is usually the widest point; membranous, outer bracts with 2–3 veins. Male flowers 6–30(–40), solitary and alternating or rarely appearing paired or whorled; each flower with a cucullate bract, 0.8–2.5(–4) mm long and 0.2–1 mm wide, membranous, usually half encircling the pedicel. Flower pedicels terete, flattened or angular, 0.2–1.1 mm long, 0.15–0.2 mm wide, white to light brown. Male flowers usually of similar age within each raceme. Flower buds globular, white to brown. Male perianth segments 6 with distinct outer and inner whorls; outer tepals (sepals) 3, cucullate, free except at the very base, uniform in size, texture thick with slightly thinner margins, 1.4–1.8 mm long, 0.7–0.8 mm wide, greenish maroon; inner tepals (petals) 3, triangular, free except at the base, uniform in size, texture thick with slightly thinner margins, 1.3–1.8 mm long, 1.2–1.4 mm wide, cream except for whitish on the margins and inner surface. Stamens 6, all adnate basally to a swollen centre surrounded by the inner tepals, 3 alternating with inner tepals, slightly higher position and 3 alternating with outer tepals, slightly lower position; filaments not obvious, 0.1–0.2 mm long, c. 0.1 mm diameter; anthers all similar, versatile, 0.3–0.35 mm long, 0.2–0.25 mm wide, bright yellow. Pistillode in the swollen centre usually missing. Female inflorescence 1(–3) per tuft, 10–25(–40) mm long, usually completely hidden at leaf base; scape flattened, slightly ribbed, creamy white, 5–25 mm long, 1.6–2 mm broad; the rachis flattened or irregularly angled or channelled, smooth, 5–13 mm long, 0.5–1.3 mm wide. Female flowers (5–)10–25, solitary, alternate, overlapping, rarely appearing paired; each flower has a bract with largest at base and smallest upwards along the rachis; bracts membranous, cucullate, 0.5–2.5 mm long, 0.5–1 mm wide at the base widest point, pale brown, partially (1/3–1/2) encircling the pedicel. Flower pedicels 0.3–0.4 mm long, 0.2–0.3 mm wide, terete or irregularly angled and channelled, creamy to pale brown. Female flowers of similar age within each inflorescence. Flower buds globular, becoming cupshaped with age, yellowish brown. Female perianth segments 6 with distinct outer and inner whorls, yellowish brown; outer 3 tepals (sepals) ovate, 1.5–2 mm long, 1.1–1.5 wide, adnate at the base; inner 3 tepals (petals) broadly ovate, 2.3–2.5 mm long, 1.8–2 mm wide, connate near base. Staminodes inconspicuous or sometimes absent, when present lacking filaments and bearing vestigial anthers, 3 inserted on the middle part of inner tepals, 3 alternating with them on the middle of lower part of each inner tepal. Pistil conspicuous, styles c. 0.2 mm long by 0.2 mm wide, stigmatic lobes 3, c. 0.2 mm long; ovary sessile, globular, c. 1 mm diameter, with 3 locules; ovules 1 per loculus. Fruiting pedicels 1–4 mm long, 0.4–0.5 mm wide. Fruiting styles 0.2–0.3 mm long, persistent. Capsules obovoid, 6–7 mm long, 5–6 mm diameter, brown to dark brown usually with 4–5 transverse stripes when fresh; carpel brown to dark brown, pale brown inside; the carpel margins slightly ridged; fruiting perianth segments 6, leathery, persistent, each 2.5–3.5 mm long, 2–3 mm wide, bracts usually persistent. Seeds 1 per locule, but 1 or 2 developed per fruit, narrowly ovoid to ovoid, 6–6.5 mm long, 2.2–3.2 mm wide, usually 2-angled on inner face, rounded on outer face, rough or slightly wrinkled, translucent in appearance, whitish brown. ( Figure 1 )

Additional specimens examined:— AUSTRALIA. Queensland: Cook District, Stannary Hills, cultivated at Hastie Rd , Atherton , 1 December 2017, Gray 9946 ( CNS, MEL) ; Silver Valley to Irvinebank Rd 3.8km from Silver Valley turn, 15 March 2022, Gray 10030 ( BRI) ; Gray 10034 ( BRI) ; 1.5km E of Silver Valley Rd , 12 September 2022, Gray 10078 ( BRI spirit only) ; 3.8km from Silver Valley Rd towards Irvinebank , 5 February 2023, Gray 10092 ( BRI, CNS) ; Gray 10094 ( BRI) ; 1km SW of Watsonville , 15 March 2023, Gray 10111 ( BRI including spirit, CNS, NSW) ; 1km SW of Watsonville , 15 March 2023, Gray 10112 ( BRI, CNS) .

Distribution and habitat: — Lomandra scabrifolia is endemic to northeast Queensland, occurring west and south west of Herberton ( Figure 3 ), where it is relatively common. Occurring on rocky hillsides among Themeda triandra Forssk. and other grasses, along with Xanthorrhoea johnsonii A.T.Lee and sedges, under sparse eucalypt forest consisting of Eucalyptus cloeziana F.Muell. , E. crebra F.Muell. , E. portuensis K.D.Hill , Corymbia citriodora (Hook.) K.D.Hill & L.A.S.Johnson subsp. citriodora and C. rhodops (D.J.Carr & S.G.M.Carr) K.D.Hill & L.A.S.Johnson.

Phenology:—Male flowering was recorded from December to February. Female flowering, fruiting and mature fruits were collected in March.

Discussion:— Lomandra scabrifolia belongs to the L. filiformis group of eastern Australia. It is putatively related to L. grayi and L. tenuis ( Gunn et al. 2024) . The three species have similar-sized male and female flowers, fruits and seeds.

Lomandra scabrifolia can be easily distinguished from L. grayi and L. tenuis by the leaves being bluish green, glaucous and scabrous (green to yellowish green and smooth for both L. grayi and L. tenuis ); Leaf apex, rounded to obtuse for L. scabrifolia (minutely toothed for L. grayi , acuminate for L. tenuis ); Inflorescences, male 2–3 cm long, female 1–2.5 cm long for L. scabrifolia , (male 20–55 cm long, female 14–30 long for L. grayi , male 12–27 cm long, female l 0–21cm long for L. tenuis ). Pedicel, male 0.2–1.1 mm long and female 0.3–0.4 mm long for L. scabrifolia (male 2–7 mm long and female 0.5–0.6 mm long for L. grayi , male 1.5–4 mm and female 1–2 mm long for L. tenuis ). ( Table 1 ).

Conservation status:— Lomandra scabrifolia can be a common species where it occurs. Although not recorded from any national park, it is not known to be at risk. Therefore, it is assessed as Least Concern (LC) using the IUCN (2019) criteria.

Etymology:—From the Latin scaber, meaning rough; folium, meaning leaf. The epithet is in reference to the leaf blades which are rough.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Lomandra scabrifolia. A. Tufted plant. B. Leaf tips. C. Male flowers. D. Female flowers. E. Fruit. Photos by B. Gray.

FIGURE 3. Distribution map of Lomandra scabrifolia and L. tenuis.