Similar plants, such as Yucca Filifera, Yucca Rostrata, Joshua Trees, banana yucca, yucca flacida, and Mexican grass trees can be found Mexico and the southern parts of the United States, sometimes thriving as far north as Missouri.
Give your garden gravitas with this stunning iconic native, a fountain of dark green slender grassy fronds, tall 'kangaroo tail' flower spikes which pollinators adore, and a rustic textured trunk when aged.
The Aboriginal name for grass tree is 'balga' or black boy, referring to the blackened trunk of the plant that remains after a fire sweeps a region. You may also hear grass tree referred to as 'yacca', a name that may originate from the Kaurna people in South Australia.
Common names for Xanthorrhoea include grasstree, grass gum-tree (for its resin-yielding species), kangaroo tail and blackboy.
The common name grass tree is a misnomer: Xanthorrhoea are not grasses, nor are they trees. Actually, they are distantly related to lilies. Xanthorrhoea translates to “yellow flow”, the genus named in reference to the ample resin produced at the bases of their leaves.
Xanthorrhoea australis, the grass tree, austral grasstree or blackboy, is an Australian plant. It is the most commonly seen species of the genus Xanthorrhoea. Its trunk can grow up to several metres tall and is often branched. In certain Aboriginal languages, it is called bukkup, baggup or kawee.
Grass trees are also known as 'yacca', which is likely derived from a South Australian Aboriginal language, mostly likely Kaurna.
The grass tree is an Australian native plant that grows around the coastal regions.
These Australian native plants have a thick fire-blackened trunk and long spiked leaves. They are found in heath and open forests across eastern NSW. The grass tree grows 1-5m in height and produces striking white-flowered spikes which grow up to 1m long.
grass tree, (genus Xanthorrhoea), genus of about 30 species of slow-growing perennial plants (family Asphodelaceae) endemic to Australia.
Australian grass tree should be pruned as needed. Typically, these trees should be pruned to remove any damaged, yellowing, dying, or dead foliage. It is also necessary to prune this plant to remove any shoots that are congested or are crossing.
Despite its name, the Australian pine has no relation to pine trees. While it has cone-shaped fruit and leaves that look like pine needles, it belongs to the Casuarina genus instead of the Pinus genus.
The curly grass ferns, or comb ferns, are any of about 30 species in the genus Schizaea. The unusual leaves are grasslike, and the sporangia are only borne on the lobes of distinct fertile fronds. The 16 species of ray ferns of the genus Actinostachys have…
All grass trees have a fibrous root system typical of monocots that extends into the soil from the base of the leaves. The unusual roots are contractile (able to shrink) and the apex of plants can be 10cm below the ground surface.
A slow one may have a lifespan of 600 years. A stand of Grass Trees approximately 200-300 years old.
It is thought that the Aborigines called the plants Balga because after a bush fire had ravaged the land, the blackened trunk of the Xanthorrhoea would be revealed beneath the burned lower leaves, and would resemble a child like black figure.
Xanthorrhoea preissii (Western Australian Grasstree)
Native to southwest WA and available in a variety of shapes and sizes. Ideal specimen plant to add character and focus to any garden. Mature grasstrees produce flower stalks periodically, most commonly every two to three years.
Established plants are difficult to move successfully and loss rate is high. Always ensure that you purchase your plant from a reputable supplier. Grass trees can readily grow from seed, however, the growth is slow and a reasonable specimen can take 3 to 5 years to develop. Be careful not to overwater.
Grass-trees, like all native flora in Western Australia, are protected by law, and can only be removed from private property if complying with clearing laws and with the landowner's permission.
The Gympie-Gympie is one of four species of stinging tree in Australia. The three closely related species, also of the family Urticaceae, are the giant stinging tree (Dendrocnide excelsa), the shiny leaf stinging tree (Dendrocnide photinophylla) and the Atherton Tableland stinger (Dendrocnide cordata).
With the upper fronds securely tied up with string, remove all yellow or brown fronds from the trunk. Use a sharp pruning tool such as long-handled loppers or a sturdy pruning saw. When all the brown or yellow fronds are removed, gently release the healthy green fronds.
Grass trees (Xanthorrhoea johnsonii)are protected under the Nature Conservation Act 1992.It is illegal to take or clear any native plants that are in the wild and are within mapped high-risk areas without a permit or under an exemption.
If the leaves are yellowing or new growth is soft or limp, then it is most likely a result of poor drainage.