Lomandra
Lomandra longifolia
Also known as: Lomandra, Spiny-headed Mat-rush, Basket Grass, Sagg
'Lomandra' comes from the Greek 'loma' (border or edge) and 'aner/andros' (man, referring to the male stamen), describing the margined filaments. 'Longifolia' means 'long-leaved.' Lomandra has been an important resource plant for Aboriginal Australians, used for food, basketry, and weaving. Lomandra is one of Australia's most iconic and versatile native plants – a tough, clumping, grass-like perennial found in coastal heathland, dunes, open forest, and roadsides across eastern and southern Australia. It is also now one of the most widely planted native species in urban landscaping, making it abundant in parks, verges, and council plantings throughout coastal cities. The plant has multiple edible uses: the leaf bases are sweet and edible; the seeds are edible; and the flowers are fragrant and sweet.
When to Forage
Leaf bases and seeds year-round; flowers in spring–summer (August–December).
Cautions
Very safe. The leaves are fibrous and inedible – only the soft, pale bases are eaten. The plant has spine-tipped leaves and bracts that can pierce skin – handle with care. Avoid specimens in heavily sprayed urban areas.
Nutrition
Leaf bases: carbohydrate-rich, mildly sweet, with a pleasant texture similar to a mild spring onion or palm heart. Seeds: a significant source of carbohydrate and protein, with a pleasant nutty flavour when ground or roasted. Flowers: sweet, fragrant, and edible as a garnish or trail snack. A nutritious and practical bush food.
How to Identify
- Dense clumping plant with long (30–100 cm), strap-like, dark green leaves that taper to a spine-tipped point at the end. Leaves are flat or slightly keeled (V-shaped in cross-section).
- Leaf margins are parallel; the leaves grow in two rows (distichous) from the base of the clump.
- Flower stalks arise from among the leaves and bear dense clusters of very small, cream to yellow, sweetly fragrant flowers in spring and early summer.
- The pale, cream-coloured leaf bases are hidden at the centre of the clump where the leaves emerge from the ground.
- Fruit is a small, round, hard capsule; seeds are cream to brown.
Lookalikes
Similar strap-like leaves in clumps, but Dianella leaves are softer and less rigid, have no spine tips, and the plant produces distinctive blue berries. Dianella species do not have the pale, edible leaf bases of Lomandra.
Young grass tree seedlings can superficially resemble Lomandra, but grass trees produce a characteristic trunk (in mature plants) and the leaf arrangement and texture differ.
How to Forage
To access the sweet leaf bases: you'll notice that leaves emerge from the plant in clusters. Grasp a young leaf at the base within a cluster and pull gently – one near the centre should come out with minimal effort. The pale, cream to white lower portion of the leaf, below where it turns green, is the edible part. Eat raw as a field snack, with a mild sweetness similar to the heart of a palm. Seeds can be harvested from dried flower heads, ground, and used as flour. Flowers can be sucked for their sweet nectar or added to salads.
Recipe — Lomandra Seed Damper
Ingredients: 1/2 cup lomandra seeds (dried, cleaned, and ground to a coarse flour); 1 cup plain flour; 1/2 tsp baking powder; pinch of salt; water to mix (approx. 100–120 ml); optional 1 tbsp maple syrup or agave nectar. Method: Combine lomandra seed flour, plain flour, baking powder, and salt. Add water gradually, mixing until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. Shape into a flat round about 2 cm thick. Cook directly in the coals of a campfire (traditional method), or in a dry pan over medium heat for 8–10 minutes per side, or bake at 200°C for 20–25 minutes until cooked through. Eat warm, broken into pieces, drizzled with maple syrup if using. Inspo: the pale leaf bases can be eaten raw in the field as a trail snack, or very finely sliced and added to salads for a mild, slightly sweet crunch.
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