grass tree

grass tree
any Australian plant of the genus Xanthorrhoea, of the lily family, having a stout, woody stem bearing a tuft of long grasslike leaves and a dense flower spike.
[1795-1805]

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▪ plant
      any plant of the genus Xanthorrhoea of the family Xanthorrhoeaceae, with about 17 species native to eastern Australia. They have thick, woody, often palmlike stems about 5 m (16 feet) tall that end in a tuft of rigid, grasslike leaves from which flower spikes resembling those of the bulrush extend 3 m or more.

      The trees are also known as grass gums because of the red or yellow gumlike resins that exude from the bases of old leaves. The resins are used for varnish. In some areas grass trees are known as yaccas (or yuccas) and as blackboys, especially X. hastilis. In western Australia a monotypic species, Kingia australis, is known as grass tree.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Grass tree — (Bot.) (a) An Australian plant of the genus {Xanthorrh[oe]a}, having a thick trunk crowned with a dense tuft of pendulous, grasslike leaves, from the center of which arises a long stem, bearing at its summit a dense flower spike looking somewhat… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • grass tree — n. any of a genus (Xanthorrhoea) of plants of the grass tree family, native to Australia, with short, thick, woody trunks and grasslike leaves: some produce fragrant resins …   English World dictionary

  • grass-tree — [gras′trē΄] adj. designating a family (Xanthorrhoeaceae, order Liliales) of monocotyledonous plants * * * …   Universalium

  • grass tree — grass′ tree n. pln any Australian plant of the genus Xanthorrhoea, lily family, having a stout woody stem bearing a tuft of grasslike leaves …   From formal English to slang

  • grass-tree — [gras′trē΄] adj. designating a family (Xanthorrhoeaceae, order Liliales) of monocotyledonous plants …   English World dictionary

  • grass tree — noun 1. any of several Australian evergreen perennials having short thick woody stems crowned by a tuft of grasslike foliage and yielding acaroid resins • Syn: ↑Australian grass tree • Hypernyms: ↑arborescent plant • Member Holonyms: ↑Xanthorroea …   Useful english dictionary

  • grass tree — /ˈgras tri/ (say grahs tree) noun 1. Also, Chiefly SA, yacca. any species of plant belonging to the genera Xanthorrhoea and Kingia found in temperate Australia; black boy; kangaroo tail. 2. any of various other plants or trees, having leaves… …  

  • grass tree — noun Date: 1802 any of a genus (Xanthorrhoea) of Australian plants of the lily family with a thick woody trunk bearing a cluster of stiff linear leaves and a terminal spike of small flowers …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • grass tree — noun another term for blackboy …   English new terms dictionary

  • grass-tree — …   Useful english dictionary

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