''Xanthorrhoea preissii'', known as balga, is a widespread species of perennial

monocot Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. They constitute one of ...

Southwest Australia Southwest Australia is a biogeographic region in Western Australia. It includes the Mediterranean-climate area of southwestern Australia, which is home to a diverse and distinctive flora and fauna. The region is also known as the Southwest Aus ...

Description

The form of the plant resembles a tree, with very long and bunched, grass-like, leaves that emerge from a central base. The trunk may grow over 3 metres tall, and the often blackened appearance is evidence of its ability to withstand fire. The remains of the flammable leaves and the annual regrowth produce banding, allowing the age of the plant to be determined, and giving a record of previous fires in its habitat. The inflorescence appears on an upright spike, 1.5 m to 2.5 m long, between June and December. The sessile flowers, creamy or white, appear more profusely when stimulated by bushfire.

Taxonomy

The name 'balga' is derived from the

Nyungar language Noongar (; also Nyungar ) is an Australian Aboriginal language or dialect continuum, spoken by some members of the Noongar community and others. It is taught actively in Australia, including at schools, universities and through public broadcastin ...

. This species and other members of the genus ''

Xanthorrhoea ''Xanthorrhoea'' () is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants endemic to Australia. Species are known by the name grass tree. Description All are perennials and have a secondary thickening meristem in the stem. Many, but not all, sp ...

'' are informally termed blackboys or grasstrees. The appearance of the plant was seen as resembling a native inhabitant holding a spear, by the early settlers of the region, leading to the common name blackboy. Today, this term is considered inappropriate. A description published in 1920, ''Xanthorrhoea reflexa'' D.A.Herb., is cited as a taxonomic synonym for this species, as is the name ''Xanthorrhoea pecoris''

F.Muell. Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vic ...

The species description was first published by

Stephan Endlicher Stephan Ladislaus Endlicher also known as Endlicher István László (24 June 1804, Bratislava (Pozsony) – 28 March 1849, Vienna) was an Austrian botanist, numismatist and Sinologist. He was a director of the Botanical Garden of Vienna. Bio ...

in the 1846 volume of ''

Plantae Preissianae ''Plantae preissianae sive enumeratio plantarum quas in australasia occidentali et meridionali-occidentali annis 1838-1841 collegit Ludovicus Preiss'', more commonly known as ''Plantae preissianae'', is a book written by Johann Georg Christian Leh ...

''.

Lehm. Johann Georg Christian Lehmann (25 February 1792 – 12 February 1860) was a German botanist. Born at Haselau, near Uetersen, Duchy of Holstein, Holstein, Lehmann studied medicine in Copenhagen and Göttingen, obtained a doctorate in medicine ...

, ''Plantae Preissianae'' 2:39 (1846)

Distribution

It is found throughout coastal plains, near watercourses, and inland forest regions, in a range extending from Geraldton to Albany and in the

Avon Wheatbelt The Avon Wheatbelt is a bioregion in Western Australia. It has an area of . It is considered part of the larger Southwest Australia savanna ecoregion. Geography The Avon Wheatbelt bioregion is mostly a gently undulating landscape with low reli ...

. It occurs on a wide variety of soil types and is sometimes associated with laterite and granite.

Ecology

The species is named as one of the dominant taxa in ''Corymbia calophylla'' – ''Xanthorrhoea preissii'' woodlands and shrublands of the Swan Coastal Plain, a critically endangered ecological community, once widespread and now restricted to a narrow range. Its occurrence is a characteristic of two other marri (''

Corymbia calophylla ''Corymbia calophylla'', commonly known as marri, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is a tree or mallee with rough bark on part or all of the trunk, lance-shaped ad ...

'') communities, but the marri/''Xanthorrhoea'' community is distinguished by the drier soils of the communities range along the eastern edge of the

Swan Coastal Plain The Swan Coastal Plain in Western Australia is the geographic feature which contains the Swan River as it travels west to the Indian Ocean. The coastal plain continues well beyond the boundaries of the Swan River and its tributaries, as a geol ...

Uses

The species had a high economic importance to the

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...

people, who named it ''balga'', utilising the gum it contains, the spike for fish spears, and the

bardi grub ''Abantiades atripalpis'', also known as bardee (bardy, bardi) grub, rain moth or waikerie, and previously known as ''Trictena atripalpis'', is a moth of the family Hepialidae. It is found in the whole southern half of Australia. Habitat The ...

as a source of food. Anecdotal information on the species refers to an association with fire in the culture of those people.

Gallery

Xanthorrhoea preissii flower spike.jpg, Closeup of flower spike Blackboy in Primer of Forestry Poole 1922.png, A specimen, Xanthorrhoea preissii - British Museum, London.jpg, British Museum display (May 2010) Xanthorrhoea with full leaf skirt.jpg, Xanthorrhoea with full leaf skirt Grass tree on fire during controlled burn.jpg, Xanthorrhoea on fire during a controlled burn, Mundaring

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xanthorrhoea preissii Asparagales of Australia preissii Angiosperms of Western Australia Endemic flora of Southwest Australia