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| Category: Grass-like |
| Family: Xanthorrhoeaceae |
| Origin: Australia (Australasia) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: White |
| Bloomtime: Infrequent |
| Height: 2-3 feet |
| Width: 1-2 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 15-20° F |
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Xanthorrhoea caespitosa (Tufted Grass-tree) A small trunkless Grass-tree that makes a dense rosette of narrow gray- green to silvery green grass-like leaves with an erect 6 foot tall candle-like spike of small, creamy flowers. Plant in full to part sun in a very well-drained soil and irrigate only occasionally to infrequently. Being a smaller Grass-tree, this species looks a bit like a stiff grass in the landscape, but when it bloom it will is very attractive. This grass tree, sometimes commonly called also called Sand-heath Grass-tree is from far south-eastern South Australia and is closely allied with the Southern Grass-tree, Xanthorrhoea australis and sometimes it is listed as a synonym with it, but unlike the larger Southern Grass Tree, it doesn't form a trunk and has grayer green glaucous leaves that are wedge shaped and concave on the upper surface. It also tends to flower later from spring to early summer while X. australis tends to flower earlier. There has also been suggestions that this plant is a naturally occurring hybrid between Xanthorrhoea australis and Xanthorrhoea minor and often one, or both, of these other species are present near populations of Xanthorrhoea caespitosa. Compare the information to our descriptions of Xanthorrhoea australis and Xanthorrhoea minor, which we also grow. Xanthorrhoea is a genus with about 30 species endemic to Australia that was once included in the large lily family, the Liliaceace, but taxonomists later placed it in its own montypic family that also included such genera as Kingia, Dasypogon and Lomandra. The current nomenclature has it in its own subfamily, the Xanthorrhoeoideae, as part of the large Asphodel family, the Asphodelaceae, which includes such other familiar plants as Aloe, Bulbine, Dianella, Hemerocallis, Kniphofia and Phormium. Though often associated with succulents or trees, the Xanthorrhoea are actually long lived perennials with secondary thickening wood-like meristem forming in the stems. The name for the genus comes from the Greek words 'xanthos', meaning "yellow" and 'rheo' meaning "to flow" in reference to the resin of this plant that was collected from around the base of the stem by Aboriginal Australians who heated and rolled it into balls and used it for various purposes. The specific epithet is the Latin word meaning "growing in tufts" or "densely-clumped". Other common names for Xanthorrhoea include grasstree, grass gum-tree (for the resin-yielding species), kangaroo tail. An early colonial name was "blackboy" but this name is now appropriately considered offensive and politically incorrect. This name was purportedly based on the look of the fire blackened trunks with foliage and tall inflorescence spike emerging at the top appearing as similar to that of an Aboriginal man holding an upright spear. We list this name here strictly for its historical significance and not to suggest it ever be used now as common name. Our plants from seed collected from selected specimens in their natural habitat in Australia by Atilla Kapitany, plant explorer, lecturer and author of Australian Grass Trees Xanthorrhoea and Kingia and Australian Succulent Plants.
The information about Xanthorrhoea caespitosa displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |
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