Murdannia graminea

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Grass lily
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Commelinales
Family: Commelinaceae
Genus: Murdannia
Species:
M. graminea
Binomial name
Murdannia graminea

Murdannia graminea is a species of flowering plant commonly known as grass lily,[2] in the family Commelinaceae. It is an upright perennial herb with mauve to purple flowers and grows in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Murdannia graminea is an upright, tufting perennial herb with tuberous roots and ascending stems, up 10–60 cm (3.9–23.6 in) high. Most of the leaves rise from the base, occasionally with a few aerial stems, linear, distinctly veined, 5–30 cm (2.0–11.8 in) long, 2–11 mm (0.079–0.433 in) wide, usually rough to softly hairy and acute at the apex. The flowers are borne in small clusters at the end of stems and have three rounded, mauve, blue or white petals and slender pedicels 3–10 mm (0.12–0.39 in) long. Flowering occurs from December to April and the fruit is an ellipsoid-shaped and 6–10 mm (0.24–0.39 in) long.[2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

This species was described in 1810 by Robert Brown who gave it the name Aneilema gramineum.[4][5] In 1930 German botanist Gustav Brückner changed the name to Murdannia graminea and the description was published in Die Naturlichen Pflanzenfamilien.[6][7] The specific epithet (gramineum) means "grass-like".[8]

Distribution and habitat

References

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