Lomandra hystrix 'Sunsprite' (Sunsprite Mat Rush) – A clump-forming grass-like plant that grows to 3 feet tall by as wide with bright green leaves that have broad pale-yellow margins. In spring into summer this plant produces pale greenish-yellow branched inflorescence with spiny bracts and small fragrant male flowers. The clumps spread slowly by short (1 inch rhizomes) and it has a large fibrous root structure.
Plant in full sun to moderate shade. It is drought tolerant once established but can also tolerate regular irrigation. Lomandra hystrix 'Sunsprite' is a variegated sport of Lomandra hystrix 'Gary's Green' that occurred at San Marcos Growers in 2009. It took us 10 years to build up enough stock on this plant to able to introduce it into the nursery trade in 2009. 'Sunsprite' has shown very good shade tolerance and as with other Lomandra hystrix varieties has proven to be a very durable cultivar that should be cold tolerant down to around 15 F and has good drought tolerance in most any soil type.
The name Lomandra is 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 'hystrix' is Greek for "porcupine-like" or "prickly" in reference to the whorled clusters of bristly bracts around the flowers and at the branches of the inflorescence. The genus Lomandra has long been placed with the Australian Grass Trees in the Xanthorrhoaceae or related Dasypogonaceae and more 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.
This information about Lomandra hystrix 'Sunsprite' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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