A photograph on a Panda’s Thumb post brought back memories. It’s a picture of a grass tree. I’m not sure of the copyright status, so you will have to visit that PT post to see the picture. The lighting is what makes this photography particularly startling.
I grew up in the suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, so grass trees are very familiar. Almost anywhere out in the bush, we would see them. We called them blackboys, which is probably a politically incorrect term these days. The ones that I saw were most likely Xanthorrhoea preissii, which are the common grass trees of that part of the country.
The “trunk” of a grass tree is mostly the base part of older leaves, held together by a resinous substance. The leaves themselves look like grass, but are more rigid. Those trunks are often blackened, presumably due to brush fires. The vertical spike is what is left of a flowering spike or spear. These spears start as green. After flowering, they have seeds. I don’t recall actually seeing one that was flowering, but perhaps the flowers are not particularly conspicuous. As children, we would sometimes use the spears for play.
A nostalgia blog
One of the blogs that I follow, is
which often has pictures of native flora and fauna from around Perth. It has other pictures too, but I particularly appreciate those of native flora and fauna.
The Heretical Philosopher 