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Products > Lomandra longifolia 'Steely Slim'
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| Category: Grass-like |
| Family: Asparagaceae (~Liliaceae) |
| Origin: Australia (Australasia) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Yellow |
| Bloomtime: Spring/Summer |
| Fragrant Flowers: Yes |
| Parentage: (Lomandra longifolia Nyalla mutation) |
| Height: 1-2 feet |
| Width: 1-2 feet |
| Exposure: Sun or Shade |
| Seaside: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 15-20° F |
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Lomandra longifolia 'Steely Slim' - A small upright grass-like tufting plant to 18 inches tall with pale blue-green upright very narrow (1/8 inch) leaves and small yellow male flower heads in early in spring. Plant in full sun to moderate shade and water occasionally to sparingly in warm months. The parent plant of this vegetative sport has proven to tolerate wetter conditions so long as the soil is freely draining or the plant is on a slope or mound, otherwise it can be planted in nearly any soil type and has been also tolerant to windy, salt laden situations and moderate frost - should prove hardy to around 16° F. Cutting back of this plant is not required, but it can be trimmed back using a sharp shear, knife or power trimmer to cut foliage to about 4 to 8 inches above the ground; avoid doing this in mid-summer or when plants are drought stressed. Should benefit from a light feeding with a general fertilizer prior to winter active growth. This plant is a sport of the larger Lomandra longifolia 'LM400' that is marketed under the name Nyalla. It was a mutation that occurred in vitro in a laboratory and we received the plant as 'LM400'. We later named it after discovering that the plant was not growing as tall as 'LM400' and shorter leaves with a more upright habit. With its tufted short leaves it and Lomandra durability, it should prove to be a nice plant to replace Blue Oat Grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens) in mass plantings in locations in Southern California where this desirable looking grass does not survive very long. The genus Lomandra has long been placed with the Australian Grass Trees in the Xanthorrhoaceae or related Dasypogonaceae and more recently in its own family, the Lomandraceae, or combined with the Cordyline into the Laxmanniaceae, but current treatment is to put it in the subfamily Lomandroideae in the Asparagaceae. The name Lomandra comes from the Greek words 'loma' meaning "margin" and 'andros' meaning "male" and is in reference to a circular margin on the anthers. The specific epithet means "long leafed".
This information about Lomandra longifolia 'Steely Slim' displayed is based on research conducted in our library and from reliable online resources. We will also note observations that we have made about it as it grows in the gardens in our nursery and those elsewhere, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others, and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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