Black Boys

[Fouquieria]

These are linked pics from another site I frequent.

The blooming of these Xanthorrhoeas is apparently triggered from the previous year's bush fire that passed through.

-Ron-

[RainForestt Robert]

Awesome.  Wish  I could get my hands on a couple.

Robert

[siafu]

In other news, Angelina Jolie has been sighted visiting the Australian outback. Local flora excited... :laugh:

[aussiearoids]

(siafu @ Nov. 28 2006,06:03)

QUOTE

In other news, Angelina Jolie has been sighted visiting the Australian outback. Local flora excited... :laugh:

I would be very excited to bump into Mrs Pitt .

There are many species of 'Grass Trees'

It is considered racist to use 'Blackboys' now .

One particularly attractive large plant is from South Australia , the foliage has a slight wave in it . Saw a fantastic large plant growing in the Bundaberg Botanic Gardens .

[aussiearoids]

Habit .

[Gonzer]

Outstanding pics Ron. What are the %'s of those spikes setting seed.

Angelina Jolie?....Shwing!!!!

[Peter]

Hey Ron-nice pics.  I could be wrong, but I believe Jo at Australian Natives in Ojai has these for sale.

[Alicehunter2000]

RPS has seed for sale.

David

[Alicehunter2000]

How cold hardy are these, in Far. ?

AH2000

[Jeff Searle]

Ron,

  What an interesting flower! I assume these come from a dry habitat with seasonal rains? Thanks a bunch for educating me.

 Jeff

[DoomsDave]

Those inflorescences look too much like, oh never mind.

Hmm.  

How long does it take for them to reach blooming size?

dave

[Bilbo]

Bob

Surprising possibly but we can get grass trees here in the UK from time to time. Its not a good time for planting right now but I shall try one in the Spring.

There are mixed opinions as to frost hardiness.

Regardez

Jon

[Tyrone]

(Dave from So-Cal @ Nov. 30 2006,00:01)

QUOTE

Those inflorescences look too much like, oh never mind.

Hmm.  

How long does it take for them to reach blooming size?

dave

I think they grow ridiculously slowly. Maybe 6 ft of trunk a century. Cold tolerance is actually quite good. Most will take frost I'd think. They are such a common sight over here growing along major highways and everywhere good bush has been left. They actually need a good amount of water to establish but once established are drought tolerant. When going north from Perth they stop growing about 300km to the north where annual rainfall drops below about 400mm a year, mainly falling in winter. They need perfect unimpeded drainage. Plant in sand. I'm so used to seeing them that I forget how strange they actually look, but I've grown to appreciate them more lately.

regards

tyrone

[Bilbo]

Thanks for cheering me up Tyrone!?!?

Aw C*****s, Streuth, Shucks, Jolly Bad Show etc. (No one can say Im not a multilinguist; Spanish, American, Aussie,English) but when I read that slooow speed of growth and coupled with the fact that Im on clayI had a good guess as to my chances and to get a good sized one is going to cost a bit.

Oh well we have all to grow if we are to advance and I just might have a go . . . .

Regardez

Juan

[Dave-Vero]

Thompson & Morgan used to sell grass tree seeds,  so I'm sure Brits have been planting them for at least 30 years.

[philinsydney]

My contribution

[Kris]

Dear Ron  

those stills are terrefic,what sight it would be on a

bright full moon night & We have all camped near it !

Lovely & thanks for those stills Guys.

Love,

Kris.

[Exotic Life]

That are nive flowers, expensive plants that grow there !

[Cycadcenter]

The plant at Bundy Bot. Garden appears to be X. glauca which grows about 150 km west of Bundy in the Eidsvold area.  They are truely a magnificent site and grow quite quickly.  If I remember rightly Clayton has one which he grew from seed and is now quite a large plant.  

One of the benifits of bushfires in Oz is the prolific growth and flowering of grasstrees after a fire.

I'm planning a trip through the Pilliga Forest just to see the blue cycad Macrozamia glaucophylla and the grasstrees after the recent fire there.

[Paul S]

I've had one growing in my garden for around 9 years - X. drummondii.  Like a piece of living sculpture and so far not touched by the regular -5Cs I get here.  It seems to appreciate heavy irrigation periocally, showing it's appreciation with a good flush fo growth in the head, but will also sit there through the severest droughts we have.  

There used to be very high death rates from the imported plants - I had a minor association with the nursery that first imported them 10 yrs back and saw some absolute beauties fade and die - but either the change of species (X. glauca currently being brought over) or improved husbandry has led to far greater re-establishment rates.  Either way it is going to end soon for us Brits as imports are going to be restricted.

[SubTropicRay]

Ron,

Fantastic pictures.  I'd love to grow one of those.

[bahia]

For those in California, Xanthorrhoea preissii and X. quandrangulata are both available as 5 and 15 gallons sized plants from San Marcos Growers in Santa Barbara, and I am pretty sure that Rancho Soledad also has them.  They have some nice blooming sized specimens at the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek, which were in bloom in spring of 2006 when I last visited.  They will handle cold here in coastal northern California, at least they have survived several bouts of below 20F temps in Walnut Creek in the winter of 1989/90 and again in 1998.

They aren't that difficult to grow here with full sun and great drainage, but I am not so sure they would like the summer heat, humidity and summer rains in Florida.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

I don't know which species it is but grass trees are native to the drier coastal plain immediately north of Cairns, Oz.  Very similar climate to South Florida.

Jerry

[freekypalmguy]

This is one of my favorite plants. I first got hooked on it when I saw two mature multiheaded plants that were about 7' tall at a home near Fallbrook,CA. I think the town is called Rainbow.

I have been trying to aquire some larger sized plants with no luck locally. I may have to make the drive up the coast.

I did buy a lot of 50 seeds but was surprised to actually receive about 80 show up. I now have apx. 50 seedling growing in my kithen (wife thinks I am crazy).

[freekypalmguy]

another pic

[freekypalmguy]

The seeds took about 2 weeks to start sprouting and this is after about 1month of growth

[freekypalmguy]

Here's one with the seed still attached.

[freekypalmguy]

As far as the cold hardiness of this plant, I decided to test it recently and put one of the seedlings outside in many nights of sub-32F temps, as low as 22F for a few nights and it was totally unaffected. I also have a Mexican Grass tree that survived the cold untouched as well.

[freekypalmguy]

Here is a pic of my Mexican Grass Tree (Dasylirion longissimum ).

[chris.oz]

Xanthorrhoea australis grow as far south as 40 degrees which is good news for folks in, say california

[philinsydney]

This one has a nice-sized trunk.

[daxin]

I am particularly interested in one grass tree species: Kingia australis, which I saw a photo in 'Botanica'. The flowers are like balls on curvy sticks coming out all around the grassy crown. This following website has some description on it and its difference with Xanthorrea. Maybe some of our Aussie friends can send a few seeds for us to try?

Australian Article on Kingia

[Morabeza]

Matt, that's awesome!  You must be pretty special if she allows them on the kitchen counter.

Any special tricks to get them to germinate?  I have been looking for a Xanthorrhoea glauca for a while, even a small one will do -I'm still young.  Your pictures have inspired me to try some from seed if I ever find X. glauca seed.  Mahalo!

[freekypalmguy]

Thanks Jacob.

She thinks I am nuts about plants but yes she is very understanding.

They were actually very easy to germinate. I used straight cacti mix from our local nursery and used one of the small greenhouses you see above. Each seed was pushed down about 1/2 inch into the soil and kept moist but not too wet and covered with the plastic cover that the unit came with. I kept it near my kitchen window so It was in partial sun.

We saw the first sprouts in about 2 weeks and they have been sprouting regularly ever since.

This was my first attempt at any kind of germination, so maybe I just got lucky.

[freekypalmguy]

(daxin @ Jan. 30 2007,20:42)

QUOTE

I am particularly interested in one grass tree species: Kingia australis, which I saw a photo in 'Botanica'. The flowers are like balls on curvy sticks coming out all around the grassy crown. This following website has some description on it and its difference with Xanthorrea. Maybe some of our Aussie friends can send a few seeds for us to try?

Australian Article on Kingia

Very cool Daxin,

That is the first time I have heard of that species of grass tree. I would love to get a hold of one as well as grass trees are definitely one of my favorite plants.

Let me know if you find any info.

[Morabeza]

Matt,

Thanks for the germination advice.  Clayton is going to send some X. glauca seed to RPS in 3 weeks and I plan on getting some of that to germinate.

Jacob

[philinsydney]

This link might be useful for those of you wishing to import Australian seeds

http://asgap.org.au/seedsupp.html