Dianella amoena

Matted Flax-lily

Llisted as "Endangered" under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 federal legislation
It is listed as "Critically Endangered" under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 state legislation in Victoria, and "Rare" under the Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 state legislation in Tasmania.
The main threats to the species are weed invasion, habitat disturbance, mowing and grazing
A recovery plan was prepared in 2010, and estimated 1,400 plants remained over 120 locations, however the plan considered Dianella amoena endemic to Victoria as records outside of Victoria were limited at the time
A more recent population estimate considering the entire range of the species is unavailable
The extensively rhizomatous nature of the species makes accurate population estimation difficult, as genetically distinct plants cannot be easily distinguished
The species has also been subject to numerous translocations, both for conservation and development mitigation purposes, which may have impacted total population size

Etymology:

Its specific epithet comes from the Latin amoenus, meaning beautiful or pleasing
This is in reference to the plant's appearance, particularly the fragrant, colourful flowers which are in the upper size range for Dianella

Flowers:

Displays blue-purple flowers in spring-summer
Inflorescences are 20-90cm high
They consist of a slender scape with fragrant flowers with blue-purple tepals and yellow stamens
These develop into fruits following buzz pollination by native bees
Can flower from October to April in favourable conditions

Fruit:

Leaves:

It has long grey-green leaves which grow in clumps from an underground rhizome
The slender, grey-green leaves have a V-shaped cross section
They generally exhibit peg-like projections or “teeth” along the leaf midrib and margins
It is partially summer deciduous when water stressed

Stem & branches:

Roots:

The common name Matted Flax-lily refers to its extensively rhizomatous nature, sometimes forming large mats up to 5m wide

Habit:

A herbaceous, perennial plant up to 90cm in height
It is clonal, meaning one plant or colony consists of multiple genetically identical ramets connected via a rhizome,
It is capable of both vegetative (asexual), and sexual reproduction

Habitat:

Distribution:

Endemic to Australia
Dianella amoena inhabits grassland and grassy woodland ecosystems, often on volcanic soils
It has a sparse distribution across south-eastern Australia, mostly in the states of Victoria and Tasmania, with some records extending the range into NSW
The species exists in small fragments of its original range in roadsides, railways, and urban nature reserves, often in degraded habitats
Recruitment is believed to be non-existent, but it is long-lived and persists in remnant clonal patches

Additional notes:

Taxonomy
- Dianella amoena was first described in 1995 by G.W Carr and P.F. Horsfall
- Before being formally described, known populations were referred to as Dianella. sp. nov
- A phylogenetic study of Dianella taxa using combined chloroplast DNA and nuclear DNA placed Dianella amoena samples among some members of the Dianella longifolia species complex and Dianella tarda, Dianella porracea, and Dianella crinoides, suggesting these taxa to be its closer relatives in the genus
- However, many nodes in the molecular phylogeny were poorly supported
- Further molecular and morphological research was suggested to resolve relationships among these taxa, and no taxonomic changes were advised
Uses
- Some plants in the Dianella genus have edible fruits
- Others are considered poisonous
- Aboriginal peoples ate the fruits of some Dianella species historically, and used the leaves for weaving
- Information regarding Dianella amoena specifically is unavailable as it has only been formally recognised since 1995

Sources of information:

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