grass tree

grass tree
noun
1. any of several Australian evergreen perennials having short thick woody stems crowned by a tuft of grasslike foliage and yielding acaroid resins
• Hypernyms: ↑arborescent plant
• Member Holonyms: ↑Xanthorroea, ↑genus Xanthorroea
2. elegant tree having either a single trunk or a branching trunk each with terminal clusters of long narrow leaves and large panicles of fragrant white, yellow or red flowers; New Zealand
• Hypernyms: ↑tree
• Member Holonyms: ↑Cordyline, ↑genus Cordyline
3. gaunt Tasmanian evergreen shrubby tree with slender tapering leaves 3 to 5 feet long
• Hypernyms: ↑Australian heath
• Member Holonyms: ↑Richea, ↑genus Richea

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noun
1. : any of several Australian arborescent plants (genus Xanthorrhoea) that yield acaroid resins; especially : a plant (X. hastilis) with a short woody stem crowned by a crowded tuft of long leaves
3. : any of several Australasian trees with grasslike foliage: as
c. : a Tasmanian evergreen tree (Richea pandanifolia) with tapering slender leaves 3 to 5 feet long

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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.
[1795-1805]

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grass tree noun
An Australian plant (genus Xanthorrhoea) with shrubby stems, tufts of long wiry foliage at the summit, and a tall flower-stalk, with a dense cylindrical spike of small flowers
• • •
Main Entry: ↑grass

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grass tree,
1. any one of various Australian plants of the lily family, having a stout, trunklike stem bearing a tuft of long, grasslike, wiry foliage and a tall flower stalk with a dense cylindrical spike of small flowers. Some species yield acaroid gum.
2. any one of various similar Australasian plants.

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Grass tree — (Bot.) (a) An Australian plant of the genus {Xanthorrh[oe]a}, having a thick trunk crowned with a dense tuft of pendulous, grasslike leaves, from the center of which arises a long stem, bearing at its summit a dense flower spike looking somewhat… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • grass tree — n. any of a genus (Xanthorrhoea) of plants of the grass tree family, native to Australia, with short, thick, woody trunks and grasslike leaves: some produce fragrant resins …   English World dictionary

  • grass-tree — [gras′trē΄] adj. designating a family (Xanthorrhoeaceae, order Liliales) of monocotyledonous plants * * * …   Universalium

  • grass tree — grass′ tree n. pln any Australian plant of the genus Xanthorrhoea, lily family, having a stout woody stem bearing a tuft of grasslike leaves …   From formal English to slang

  • grass-tree — [gras′trē΄] adj. designating a family (Xanthorrhoeaceae, order Liliales) of monocotyledonous plants …   English World dictionary

  • grass tree — /ˈgras tri/ (say grahs tree) noun 1. Also, Chiefly SA, yacca. any species of plant belonging to the genera Xanthorrhoea and Kingia found in temperate Australia; black boy; kangaroo tail. 2. any of various other plants or trees, having leaves… …  

  • grass tree — 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. [1795 1805] * * * ▪ plant       any plant of the genus Xanthorrhoea of the family… …   Universalium

  • grass tree — noun Date: 1802 any of a genus (Xanthorrhoea) of Australian plants of the lily family with a thick woody trunk bearing a cluster of stiff linear leaves and a terminal spike of small flowers …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • grass tree — noun another term for blackboy …   English new terms dictionary

  • grass-tree — …   Useful english dictionary

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