Xanthorrhoea arborea
R. Br.
Grass gum tree
iNaturalist· cc0
no rights reserved, uploaded by James Ray
iNaturalist· cc0
no rights reserved, uploaded by James Ray
iNaturalist· cc0
no rights reserved, uploaded by James Ray
Summary
Source: WikipediaXanthorrhoea arborea a species of grasstree of the genus Xanthorrhoea native to New South Wales and Queensland. It was one of the many species authored by the Scottish botanist Robert Brown. It grows a trunk up to 2 metres (7 ft) tall. The leaves are dull green to blue-grey, 5 to 8 mm wide. It flowers from January to April, depending on fire. Xanthorrhoea arborea grows in dry sclerophyll forests around the Sydney Basin on the New South Wales Central Coast westwards over the Great Divide to Rylstone.
Description
The plant has a crown of long narrow leaves. The flowers are in tall slender flower spikes.
This description is brief — help expand it
Edible Uses
Leaf shoots and flower spikes are eaten; the flower spikes are typically prepared as a drink.
Distribution
A tropical plant.
Where It Grows
Australia*,
Cultivation
Plants are grown from seed. Seed germinate readily.
Production
Plants grow slowly.
Notes
There are 30 Xanthorrhoea species. There is only one genus in the Xanthorrhoeaceae family.
References (4)
- Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 689
- Heywood, V.H., Brummitt, R.K., Culham, A., and Seberg, O., 2007, Flowering Plant Families of the World. Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. p 406 (Family)
- Hinton, B & B., 1982, A Wilderness in Bloom. Wildflowers of tropical Australia. p 18
- Prodr. 288. 1810
