Cundeelee grasstree facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cundeelee grasstree |
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The Xanthorrhoea thorntonii, also known as the Cundeelee grasstree or desert grasstree, is a special plant found in central Australia. It's part of a group of plants called Xanthorrhoea, which are often called "grasstrees" or "yackas."
Indigenous Australian people have different names for this plant. The Pitjantjatjara people call it kata-kultu or urara. The Warlpiri people know it as yurlurnkuru, and the Arrernte call it lunkere. This grasstree is the only one of its kind that grows in places like the Great Sandy Desert, Great Victoria Desert, and MacDonnell Ranges.
What Does the Desert Grasstree Look Like?
This amazing plant is a perennial, meaning it lives for many years. It can grow very tall, sometimes up to 5 meters (about 16 feet)! Its main trunk can also be 5 meters tall.
From the top of its trunk, many long, thin leaves spread out like a fountain. When it's time to bloom, usually between August and December, it grows a tall flower stalk. This stalk, called a scape, can be about 0.6 to 0.8 meters (2 to 2.6 feet) long. On top of the scape, a dense spike of creamy-white flowers appears, reaching 1 to 1.5 meters (3 to 5 feet) in length.
The desert grasstree grows slowly and lives for a very long time. It's also good at surviving fires. Its leaves are strong and bend downwards, and they have a unique diamond-like shape when you look at them closely. The plant also makes a sticky, tar-like substance called resin. Long ago, Indigenous Australians used this resin to help attach spearheads to their wooden shafts, making their tools stronger.
How Was This Plant Named?
The Xanthorrhoea thorntonii was first officially described by a botanist (a scientist who studies plants) named Ralph Tate. He wrote about it in 1896. He found samples of the plant during an important trip called the Horn Expedition in 1894.
There's only one other name that was used for this plant, which was Xanthorrhoea thorntoni. Ralph Tate also described that name, but now we only use Xanthorrhoea thorntonii.
Where Can You Find the Desert Grasstree?
You can find the desert grasstree scattered across the dry, central parts of Australia. It grows in sandy soils in areas of Western Australia like the Pilbara, Mid West, and Goldfields-Esperance regions.
It's also common in the northwest of South Australia and the southern part of the Northern Territory, especially southwest of Alice Springs. You'll often see these grasstrees growing on and between sand dunes, and on sandy plains. They are usually found in areas where a type of grass called Triodia is common.
