Spreading flax lily
Dianella revoluta
A tussocky plant with long tapering leaves, the flax lily is commonly found with a related species, the broader-leafed Dianella tasmanica. Both species went largely unnoticed by early Europeans, but are more recently being appreciated as attractive garden plants.
Flax lilies were highly valued by Tasmanian Aborigines. The leaves produced a nourishing tea and the roots and characteristic small, slightly tart, berry-like fruits were edible. The berries were also used as a dye and for treating ulcers.
The long leaves of the flax lily were split and twisted into cords, and used to weave mats and bags. They also made fine, high-pitched whistles which were used to warn off snakes.
Size
Up to 1 m high.
Form
Ground Cover
Natural Distribution
Coastal heathlands and forests in eastern States, South Australia, Western Australia. Habitat Value
Bluetongue lizards and skinks eat the seeds, and mice and marsupials, including antechinus, eat both seeds and fruit.
Birds such as honeyeaters and silvereyes feed on the fruit. Fairy-wrens forage amongst and under these plants and, along with brown thornbills, use them as nesting sites.
Frogs shelter in them in the summer.