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Bottlebrush Grass Tree (Xanthorrhoea macronema): Slender Australian Grasstree

Overview

Bottlebrush Grass Tree is a slender, trunkless or short-trunked Xanthorrhoea native to eastern Australia. It forms a dense tuft of long, narrow, grass-like leaves. The flower spike is a distinctive, bottlebrush-like cylinder of creamy-white flowers, shorter and denser than other species.

Taxonomy & Nomenclature

Family:	Xanthorrhoeaceae
Genus:	Xanthorrhoea (zan-thor-ROH-ee-uh)
Species:	macronema (mak-roh-NEE-muh)

Cultivation & Uses

Full sun; well-drained, sandy soil. Drought-tolerant. Fire-adapted. Difficult to transplant. A unique specimen for rock gardens, dry slopes, and Australian native gardens. The bottlebrush flower spike is highly ornamental.

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; Australian Grass Tree (Xanthorrhoea preissii): Majestic Trunked Xanthorrhoea; Grass Tree (Xanthorrhoea nana): Dwarf Australian Grasstree; Feather Grass (Stipa pennata): A European Steppe Grass with Silky, Flowing Awns; Bottlebrush Tree (Callistemon rigidus): An Australian Native with Stiff, Red Brush-Like Flowers

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