Spiny-headed mat-rush ( Lomandra longifolia)

This commonly used landscaping plant is also a versatile and widely used bush food.

The white leaf-stem base, pulled up from the centre of the 1m-wide clump, is lovely eaten raw in salads, or slow-cooked in butter as a caramelised vegetable. The flower is edible and high in nectar, and the seed from the female plant is a great nutty addition to baked goods. Preferring poorer soil and full sun, it grows in all climate zones up the eastern seaboard.

1–2m 1m