General information on Grass Trees.
These very slow growing plants are only found in Australia and live to 600 years. It takes up to 10 years for the trunk to appear and is composed of masses of old leaf bases that are held together with natural resin. Then it takes a further 20 years for a crown of thin linear leaves to form distinctly above the trunk which has a growth rate of 20 mm (¾in) per year. Some species can attain a height of over 4 m (12ft) and are commonly branched. The flowering stem appears every 2-3 years on mature plants and grows rapidly up to 30 mm (1⅛in) per day and the inflorescence attracts honey eating birds, bees, butterflies and ants.