 Lomandra micrantha male plant | Mat Rushes are monocotyledons, which look like sedges until they flower. They are clumpy perennials with tough leaves, which grow from underground rhizomes. Flower spikes with small delicate wind-pollinated flowers arise from the base of the plant. They are mostly dioecious (have boy and girl plants). You have to look very closely to see flower differences. Male flowers have six prominent stamens, but the pistil (stalk from the ovary that receives pollen for fertilisation), is short and sterile – a pistillode. Female flowers had insignificant sterile stamens (staminodes). Lomandra micrantha has tiny flowers that I did not find until about 5 years ago. You need a camera with a macro lens to appreciate the delicate beauty of these apparently drab flowers. |
 Lomandra micrantha female |  Lomandra micrantha male |
Scented Lomandra, Lomandra effusa is an attractive plant, which flowers in September is common near the Claypit.
 Lomandra effusa |  Female with seeds |  Male flower. Central pistil reduced and sterile |
 |  Little Fringe-Leaf /Chamaexeros serra also flowers on the Claypit flats in September and October. Plants in this genus are mat rushes with bisexual flowers and fringed leaves. |