| any Australian plant of the genus Xanthorrhoea, of the lily family, having a stout, woody stem bearing a tuft of long grasslike leaves and a dense flower spike. |
| grass tree n. Any of several woody-stemmed Australian plants of the genus Xanthorrhoea, having stiff grasslike leaves, palmlike stems, and a spike of small white flowers. |
grass tree
any plant of the genus Xanthorrhoea of the family Xanthorrhoeaceae, with about 17 species native to eastern Australia. They have thick, woody, often palmlike stems about 5 m (16 feet) tall that end in a tuft of rigid, grasslike leaves from which flower spikes resembling those of the bulrush extend 3 m or more.
Learn more about grass tree with a free trial on Britannica.com.