Practical
Plants

Thysanotus patersonii

Twining Fringed Lily

a perennial woody member of the Thysanotus genus in the family Asphodelaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Woodiness
woody
Height
1 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Root - raw or cooked[2][5]. Australian Aborigines used to roll the whole vine into a ball, roast it in hot ashes and grind it into a green powder that was eaten with gum tree roots[5].

Plant part
Root
Plant part
Stem

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Climber

Environment

Range
Australia - New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria.
Habitat
Sandy heaths and mallees[3][5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow thinly in spring in a sandy compost in a greenhouse[6]. Grow the seedlings on in the pot for their first growing season and pot them on into individual pots in early spring of the following year. Grow them on for at least another year in a greenhouse before trying them outdoors. Division.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it might succeed outdoors in the mildest areas of the country. It tolerates temperatures down to about -7°c in Australian gardens[4], though this cannot be translated directly to British gardens due to our cooler summers and longer colder and wetter winters. A twining plant, it often trails on the ground if there is no support for it to climb[5]. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Requires a fertile well-drained sandy loan in a sunny position[1][6].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

  2. Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-00-634436-4

    ↩

  3. Ewart. A. J. Flora of Victoria.

    ↩

  4. Wrigley. J. W. and Fagg. M. Australian Native Plants. Collins. (Australia) 1988-00-00 ISBN 0-7322-0021-0

    ↩

  5. Low. T. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-207-14383-8

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  6. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

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