Lomandra longifolia | Australian Native Guide

Introducing Lomandra longifolia

Lomandra longifolia is native to Australia – you just wouldn’t find it in the west or northern territory. The more common name you may have heard is spiny head mat rush or basket grass.

The grass can grow in many different conditions – it can thrive in sandy soil, swamps and other damp landscapes, on cliffs, and also in forests.

Spiny Head Mat Rush Plant Features

As far as grasses go, the spiny head mat rush kind is certainly good looking with shiny green leaves and are coloured with yellow or orange and sometimes brown markings. The flowers it produces look a bit like straw and are spiky.

They have a good scent too. The nectar of the flowers attracts beetles that help with pollination and you’ll usually see flowers appearing at the end of winter time or the beginning of spring. They are a yellowish colour. 

You can grow your Lomandra longifolia indoors in a pot if you like or outdoors. The grass likes moist soil but it can handle drought thanks to a great root system. It can grow in a variety of lighting conditions, and equally, a range of soils that are anything from sand to clay.

Lomandra longifolia also don’t need a specific pH. As you would have probably realised by now, this is a very easy plant to maintain. If you want to propagate Lomandra longifolia, you can do this by using seed or by dividing an existing plant. 

Our reason for calling this plant a toughie, is that it’s incredibly drought tolerant but also handles flooding well. Spiny head mat rush can survive cold temperatures but doesn’t like a wet winter or cold summer. 

The Aboriginal people have long appreciated Lomandra longifolia. They use the leaves to make nets and baskets and also eat it as a food source. 

Lomandra longifolia Varieties

How to Grow Lomandra longifolia

Lomandra longifolia can germinate quite quickly and easily from seed. You’ll need to wait until the fruit ages and becomes brown. You will then know that it’s ready to sow the seed in a potting mix and water well. In about 6 weeks you’ll have your own seedling. 

Propagating Lomandra longifolia

The easiest way to propagate spiny head mat rush is to dig up an existing plant and then divide it up. If you’re going this route, you need to ensure there are enough roots to work with otherwise the plant won’t survive.

You can replant your divided section in autumn, winter or spring. For more detailed instructions on each of the propagation methods, have a look at the sections below.

Propagating Spiny Gead Mat Rush from Seed

True to a low maintenance nature, the Lomandra longifolia seeds don’t need to be pretreated before you plant them and await germination. The time between December and February is best for harvesting the seed you need from a female plant after it has been fertilised by a male plant and bees.

When the spiny head mat rush grass is in the flowering process, you can remove the seed head. It might be confusing as the seed head looks more like fruit. You can pop the seed head you have cut into a paper bag and keep it somewhere warm.

Eventually the fruit opens and the seed will be contained in the bag. Prepare a seed raising mix and then scatter the seed over this mixture. The soil should remain moist constantly and you should see germination in about 6 weeks’ time.

Lomandra longifolia Propagation by Division

If you want to go the super easy route you can divide a mature plant. Start by digging up an existing clump of Lomandra longifolia. It’s best to use pruning shears or a sharp knife when you divide up the root ball. (Don't miss our review of the best pruning shears for 2024.)

Cut back any leaves that look long and strappy, and then you can plant the new divided plant back in the soil. It really is that simple!

Caring for Spiny Head Mat Rush

Sunlight Needs

Your Lomandra longifolia grass can happily live in full sun or partially shady spots. You might notice, that depending how much sunlight the grass gets, the colour of the leaves might be different. The colour of the leaves has nothing to do with plant health though. 

What Soil to Use

The Lomandra longifolia can grow in a range of different soils – anything from sand to clay is perfectly acceptable, as long as the soil is moist. 

Watering Schedule

Looking for a water saving element to your garden? The spiny head mat rush becomes drought tolerant once the grass is mature. It is however recommended to give your Lomandra longifolia water now and then. 

In the case of a freshly planted grass, it will need water to settle and to kick start new roots. If you’re experiencing weather that is hot or dry in the seasons after you’ve planted your Lomandra longifolia, aim to water once a week.

Fertilising Spiny Head Mat Rush

Lomandra longifolia as a young and new plant, can do with some feeding every 4 weeks for the spring, summer and autumn seasons. Once your spiny head mat rush has then established itself, you can then just fertilise in the springtime using an organic fertiliser or even compost. 

Pruning Lomandra longifolia

It’s possible that the leaves of your Lomandra longifolia could suffer some wind damage or even just start to look a bit aged. If this is the case, you can prune back your grass around 20cm during winter or even at the start of spring to revive it. 

Over and above this, a good pruning every 2 years to a minimum length of 15cm is good to keep growth on track and to keep a good shape for your plant. Once you have done your pruning, we recommend adding a slow-release fertiliser.

Some of the varieties of Lomandra longifolia get dead leaf build up and can start to look a bit ugly. If this is happening, you can prune the grass all the way back to ground level. Any dead flowers can be cut off. 

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Pests and Diseases that Affect Lomandra longifolia

Lomandra longifolia luckily doesn’t deal much with pests or diseases. This species is loved by some butterflies who might use the leaves to lay eggs and as a snack.

If you see some tiny caterpillars hanging out on your spiny head mat rush, this might be the case but they actually don’t harm the leaves. If anything, you’ll have lots of pretty butterflies hanging about. 

Phytophthora 

As with many native plants, you might end up dealing with Phytophthora which causes root rot and can in fact kill your plant. Symptoms are yellow leaves or if you notice that your plant is starting to die. In the case of a tree, you could change the soil around the tree and down to the roots and allow the root system to dry out. 

In the case of a grass like Lomandra longifolia, and other smaller plants, you’re aiming for prevention rather than cure. This is why well-draining soil and conditions are important so the roots don’t sit in water and stay mostly dry.

What makes Phytophthora so problematic, is that it only takes a few hours of standing water for the fungus to germinate. It is unfortunate that in some smaller plants, phytophthora might already be killing off your plant and the disease too far gone by the time you realise what is happening.

Lomandra longifolia Frequently Asked Questions

What does the name Lomandra longifolia  mean?

Lomandra comes from the Greek word Loma which means edge or border, and the word Aner which means man or male. Longifolia comes from the Latin word Longi which means long, and the word Folia which is Latin for leaf.

What is Lomandra longifolia used for?

The spiny head mat rush grass is incredibly useful. The Wurundjeri people used it to weave baskets, but also to make traps and nets for hunting. Lomandra longifolia can be eaten and the seeds are actually quite high in protein.

The seeds have been used to make bread mix, and the leaves have been eaten as vegetables. The Aboriginal people have used the roots as a treatment for stings and bites. 

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