Perennial, tufted herb. Grass-like appearance. Dioecious.

"Leaves flat, rather thin, usually 90-130 cm long, 5-10.5 mm wide, glabrous; apex acute with 2-4 often minute lateral teeth usually well below apex,..." (Flora of Australia)

Lomandra hystrix transplants are produced in considerable quantities by nurseries for use in landscaping and for the rehabilitation of watercourses. This creates a small but steady demand for the seed.

L. hystrix may be confused with L. longifolia. The teeth at the tips of the leaves will separate the two. In our areas of observation, we generally find L. hystrix along creek beds and rivers which maintain flows for large parts of the year. L. longifolia will occur in the same fashion however it will also colonise much drier sites, often along banks some distance from regular water, along dry gullies and washouts, up onto hillsides and also on to ridges.

Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. [Date Accessed: Nov 13, 2019] http://www.ausflora.org.au

https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Lomandra%20hystrix