Asphodelus. LILIACEAE. Ill 



flowering, and also to lead to branching of the stem in such species as X. quadrangulata and 

 X. Tateana. The existence of some species is threatened by the fact that it is necessary 

 to destroy the stem in order to obtain the commercially valuable resin. 



A. Leaves 2 mm. broad, quadrangular X. quadrangulata 1. 



A. Leaves 3-10 mm. broad, flattish or triquetrous. 



B. Leaves 3-5 mm. broad X. australis 2. 



B. Leaves 8-10 mm. broad. 



Stem absent or short X. semiplana 3. 



Stem 1-4 m. high X. Tateana 4. 



1. X. quadrangulata, F. v. M. Stem of old plants 

 1^-3 m. high, rarely (in some northern specimens) very 

 short ; leaves |-1 m. long, 2 mm. broad, quadrangular, 

 or sometimes almost rhomboid in transverse section ; 

 scape 75 cm. to 1 m. long, 2|- cm. diam. ; spike 

 equalling or rather longer than the scape, 3-6 cm. 

 diam. ; perianth-segments about 10 mm. long ; 

 capsule sharply acuminate. 



Mount Lofty Range ; northern agricultural areas ; 

 Flinders Range. Feb.-Apl. 



2. X. australis, R. Br. Usually stemless, but some- 

 times with a stem 20 cm. to 1 m. high ; leaves flat 

 on one side or angular on both sides, 3-5 mm. broad, 

 50-80 cm. long ; spike 40 cm. to 1£ m. long, 1-2 cm. 

 diam., usually but not always longer than the spike, 

 which varies from 30 cm. to 1-25 m. in length, 3-5 

 cm. diam. ; outer perianth-segments and bracts acumi- 

 nate ; stamens twice as long as the perianth ; capsule 

 rather obtuse. 



In the South-East ; near Naracoorte, Millicent? 

 Penola, Glencoe. Mar.-Apl. 



Fig. 29 — Xanthorrhoea quadrangulata. 



3. X. semiplana, F. v. M. Stemless or with a very short stem; leaves 1-2 m. long, 

 8-10 mm. broad, flat on one side with a raised midrib, angular on the other, so as to be 

 subtriquetrous in section ; scape and spike usually about the same length, about 1-3 m. 

 long ; scape 3-4 cm., and the spike 5-8 cm. diam. ; capsule sharply acuminate. 



Mount Lofty Range. Summer, and sometimes in winter. 



4. X. Tateana, F. v. M. Stem 1-4 m. high, often branched ; leaves as in the preceding, 

 but sometimes slightly angular on both sides ; spike stout, as in the preceding, 2-4 m. 

 long and usually somewhat longer than the scape. 



Kangaroo Island, producing much valuable resin ; also perhaps at Encounter Bay and 

 Marble Range, E.P., but on the mainland this species tends to run into X. semiplana, 

 to which it is closely related. 



15. ASPHODELUS, L. 



(Greek asphodelos, some liliaceous plant.) 



* 1. A. fistulosus, L. Wild Onion. Stem and leaves hollow, the latter radical and 

 cylindrical ; flowers white, in long racemes ; perianth of 6 spreading segments ; filaments 

 papillose near base ; stigma 3-lobed ; capsule globular, wrinkled transversely, with 1-2 

 Mack, triangular seeds in each of the 3 cells. 



A bad weed in the settled districts. July-Sept. — Mediterranean region. 



16. CALECTASIA, R. Br. 



(Greek Jcalos, beautiful ; ektasis, development : alluding to the blue spreading 



perianth-lobes.) 

 1. C. cyanea R. Br. Blue Tinsel Lily. Stems shortly branched and covered with 

 pubescent leaf-sheaths ; leaves short, subulate, crowded ; flowers blue, solitary at the 

 end of the branches ; perianth persistant, consisting of a tube 7-8 mm. long, and 6 spread- 

 ing, rigid, lanceolate lobes ; stamens 6, inserted at the base of the lobes and with erect 

 linear anthers ; ovary 1 -celled, with 3 erect ovules ; style filiform. 



Near Robe, and probably elsewhere in the South-East, but apparently rare. 



