Xanthorrhoea macronema

Xanthorrhoea macronema is a forest plant in the genus Xanthorrhoea,[1] found in coastal regions of eastern Australia north of Sydney, New South Wales to Fraser Island, Queensland. The trunk of this grass tree is underground.

Bottlebrush grass tree
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Australia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asphodelaceae
Subfamily: Xanthorrhoeoideae
Genus: Xanthorrhoea
Species:
X. macronema
Binomial name
Xanthorrhoea macronema

The common name is the bottlebrush grass tree. The plant features yellow flowers resembling those of Banksia or Bottlebrush, around 10 cm long. However, the flowering stem can be up to two metres long. The flowering stem is on average 10 mm in width. Depending on fires, the plant flowers from July to August.

The glossy leaves are 2 to 4 mm wide, triangular in cross section with grooves and ribs. The leaves are rough like sandpaper to touch around the leaf margins.

The specific epithet comes from the Latin for "long thread", referring to the flowering stem.

References

edit
  1. ^ "Xanthorrhoea macronema". PlantNET - NSW Flora Online, Retrieved 30 November 2010.