Adelaide Hills Grass Tree

About

An iconic, extremely slow-growing grass tree of southern South Australia, taking many decades to form even a short trunk, which makes old plants a living record of how long a patch of bushland has gone unburnt or undisturbed.

How to spot it

Flat (not square) leaf cross-section distinguishes it from the related Xanthorrhoea quadrangulata. Subspecies semiplana is usually trunkless and under 1m tall; subspecies tateana, found on Kangaroo Island, develops a distinct trunk over 1m. Sends up a tall flowering spike after fire or in warmer months.

Found in

• Belair National Park
• Morialta Conservation Park
• Onkaparinga River National Park
• Sturt Gorge Recreation Park
• Flinders Chase National Park