Junior RangerS www.juniorrangers.com.au JR FACT FILE Grass Trees australis Xanthorrhoea minor Fascinating Fact: Lifespan of up to 600 years! Grass Trees grow 12 centimetres in height each year.

At a Glance grow a trunk above ground. It’s fine purposes, with the resin used to fix a leaves grow from the base of the sharp point to the end. Size: at ground level. Flowering Threats: Can grow up to six metres tall. occurs twice to three times each year Although protected in national parks, Habitat: in mature . The flowering stalks grow rapidly at a rate of 2-3 unfortunately the grass tree has Coastal heaths, wet and dry forests. centimetres per day and reach a been a victim of land clearing. To What Is a Grass Tree? height of around three metres. conserve them they are sometimes removed before an area is cleared Grass trees are one of ’s Amazingly, grass trees have a and replanted elsewhere. most amazing and iconic plants. lifespan of up to 600 years! Grass trees are also increasingly Growing only in Australia there are Grass trees are also closely related to several different species including threatened by the root rot disease other sedges such as Lomandra spp., . four that grow in . with which it share many similarities. Fortunately they are becoming There are many differences between Uses: grass tree species. Some have a increasingly popular in private trunk and look a bit like a tree above A wide range of lizards and insects gardens due to their ability to the ground, growing up to six metres shelter in the grass trees massive survive harsh weather conditions tall, whilst others are much lower foliage. When in flower, the spear and survive without water and and grow their trunks below ground. of the plant attracts nectar feeding regular maintenance. Species such as Xanthorrhoea birds, bees, ants, and butterflies. Where Do Grass Trees Grow? australis (Austral Grass Tree) grow a For Victorian Aborigines including the Grass trees grow in coastal heaths, trunk. The trunk is composed of a Wotjobaluk, the Wathaurung and the and wet and dry forests of Australia. mass of old leaf bases held together Gunai/Kurnai, grass trees are a staple They are drought and frost tolerant. by natural resin which can take ten plant providing food, drink, fibre and years before it begins to form. It is materials for making implements. Some good places to view grass trees in Victorian parks include, the then a further twenty years or more Pieces of dry flower stalk can be before a mass of thin leaves emerge. Brisbane Ranges, Little Desert and used for making fire with a drilling Grampians National Parks. It’s a very slow growing plant, at a stick, while leaves collected from the rate of one to two centimetres in base of the trunk produce a hard Want to Know More? height per year, growing one metre resin which can be used for www.parkweb.vic.gov.au every 100 years! waterproofing bark canoes and water www.anbg.gov.au Other species such as Xanthorhroea carrying vessels. The tall flower minor (Small Grass Tree) do not spear can also used for hunting

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