branching fringe lily

Thysanotus dichotomus is a perennial herb with more or less spherical rhizomes up to about 50 mm (2.0 in) in diameter. Its 5 to 10 leaves are produced annually, narrowly lance-shaped, 80–140 mm (3.1–5.5 in) long with a fringe of hairs on the edges, but the leaves usually wither before flowering. The flowering stems are perennial, up to 600 mm (24 in) long and branched. The flowers are purple and borne groups of up to 3 on a pedicel 6–10 mm (0.24–0.39 in) long, the perianth segments 10–18 mm (0.39–0.71 in) long. The sepals are oblong, 1.5–3 mm (0.059–0.118 in) wide, the petals elliptic, 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) wide with a fringe 2.0–3.5 mm (0.079–0.138 in) wide. There are six stamens, the anthers of different lengths, and the style curved, 6–9 mm (0.24–0.35 in) long. Flowering occurs from September to December or January, and the seeds are more or less cylindrical, about 2 mm (0.079 in) long and 1 mm (0.039 in) in diameter with a pale, yellowish aril.

Branching fringe lily is found from near Geraldton to east of Esperance in the Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance Plains, Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest, Mallee, Swan Coastal Plain, Warren and Yalgoo bioregions of south-western Western Australia. Along the Darling Range it grows in jarrah-marri forest on soils derived from granite, or with granite rocks in drier inland areas.