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Australian Grass Tree (Xanthorrhoea preissii): Majestic Trunked Xanthorrhoea

Overview

Australian Grass Tree is a spectacular, slow-growing perennial endemic to Western Australia. It develops a thick, often branched trunk (up to 10+ feet tall) topped with a dense crown of long, narrow, grass-like leaves. Mature plants produce a towering flower spike (up to 10 feet) with thousands of tiny white flowers, a magnet for birds and bees.

Taxonomy & Nomenclature

Family:	Xanthorrhoeaceae
Genus:	Xanthorrhoea (zan-thor-ROH-ee-uh)
Species:	preissii (PREES-ee-eye)

Cultivation & Uses

Full sun; extremely well-drained, sandy or gravelly soil. Very drought-tolerant. Fire-adapted. Extremely difficult to transplant; best grown from seed. A iconic specimen for xeriscapes, rock gardens, and Australian native gardens. Protected in the wild; ensure nursery-propagated sources.

Grasses and Bamboo: Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia): Mojave Desert Icon; Palm Grass (Setaria palmifolia); Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans); Centipede Grass (Eremochloa ophiuroides): A Low-Maintenance, Acid-Loving Lawn Grass; Egyptian Grass (Dactyloctenium aegyptium): A Spreading Annual Grass with Crowfoot Seed Heads; Bear Grass (Xerophyllum tenax): Iconic Western Native for Fire-Adapted Landscapes; Bottlebrush Grass Tree (Xanthorrhoea macronema): Slender Australian Grasstree; Grass Tree (Xanthorrhoea nana): Dwarf Australian Grasstree; Feather Grass (Stipa pennata): A European Steppe Grass with Silky, Flowing Awns; Empress Tree (Paulownia tomentosa)

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