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Xanthorrhoea

Xanthorrhoea
Xanthorrhoea semiplana - Anstey Hill.JPG
X. semiplana
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asphodelaceae
Subfamily: Xanthorrhoeoideae
Genus: Xanthorrhoea
Sol. ex Sm.
Species

28 species

Map-Xanthorhoeaceae.PNG
Distribution of Xanthorrhoea
Synonyms

Acoroides Sol. ex Kite, not validly published


28 species

Acoroides Sol. ex Kite, not validly published

Xanthorrhoea (/zænθˈrə/) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants endemic to Australia and a member of family Asphodelaceae, being the only member of subfamily Xanthorrhoeoideae. The Xanthorrhoeoideae are monocots, part of order Asparagales.

A reference to its yellow resin,Xanthorrhoea literally means "yellow flow" in Ancient Greek. Smith named it in 1798, from (‘yellow, golden’) and (‘flowing, flow’). The invalid Acoroides (‘Acorus-like’) was a temporary designation in Solander's manuscript from his voyage with Cook, originally not meant for publication.

Common names for Xanthorrhoea include grasstree, grass gum-tree (for its resin-yielding species), and blackboy, based on the purported similarity in appearance of the trunked species to an Aboriginal man holding an upright spear. The last name is now considered offensive to Aborigines, or at least belonging to the past.


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Wikipedia

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