Curio

State Library of New South Wales
Grass tree (Xanthorrhoea), 1790s

Grass tree (Xanthorrhoea), 1790s

TAL & Dai-ichi Life Derby Collection, Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW; Purchased from The Rt Hon. The 19th Earl of Derby, 2011; PXD 1098, vol. 5, f. 45

Watercolour

Flowering spikes of Grass trees have been used by Aboriginal people to make fishing spears.
Grass trees require little water and are drought resistant.
Grass trees regenerate quickly after fire, with new leaves sprouting from the blackened trunk.
Resin collected from Xanthorrhoea was used by Aboriginal people as a type of glue to make a range of tools and weapons.
There are 28 species of Grass trees native to Australia with 13 species occurring in New South Wales.
Grass trees grow very slowly at a rate of about 2.5 centimetres each year. Tall plants can be hundreds of years old.