grass tree

English

Dracophyllum traversii

Alternative forms

• grasstree

Noun

grass tree (plural grass trees)

1. (Australia) Any of various small trees of the family Xanthorrhoeaceae (especially of the genus Xanthorrhoea), having a thick trunk crowned with a dense tuft of pendulous, grass-like leaves. [from 18th c.]
   • 2002, Alex Miller, Journey to the Stone Country, Allen & Unwin, published 2003, page 125:

     They ascended the incline of the ridge through a tract of country where prehistoric grasstrees and cycads stood in isolation among bloodwoods and stunted hickory […] .

2. A New Zealand shrub of the genus Dracophyllum, that grows up to 12 m high and found throughout in drier climates and at higher altitudes, with slender erect or spreading branches. Rigid, leathery grass-like leaves are usually crowded towards the tip of the branchlets. Also called spiderwood.
3. Dasylirion longissimum (family Asparagaceae, Mexican grass tree)
4. Dracophyllum (family Ericaceae), a genus of about 100 species.
5. Richea pandanifolia (family Ericaceae, giant grass tree).

Hypernyms

• tree

Derived terms

• grass tree gum

Translations

a New Zealand shrub

• Maori: inanga, īnanga, īnaka, emiemi, neinei

References

• grass tree on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• restagers