| Life form | Herbal Tree |
| Family | Xanthorrhoeaceae |
| Origin and distribution | Western Australia. The name xantorrhea was obtained because of the yellow resin, which the plant secrets with damage to the stem. |
| Ease of cultivation | Relatively unpretentious. |
| The size | In nature up to 4 m. |
| Growth rate | Extremely low: 0.9 (in poor soil) – 2.5 cm per year. A plant 1 m high may be about 100 years old. In richer soils, it can grow faster. Despite the fact that growth is very slow, tree lignification begins only after 4-5 years from the beginning of growth. Attractive plants with short stems (10 cm) and leaves up to 1.5 m can develop for 10 years. The formation of a tree with a powerful trunk can take 30 years. |
| Lifespan | A perennial plant in nature lives up to 600 years. |
| Temperature | Optimal temperature, which provides the best growth: + 68 ° F, although the plant easily adapts to a wide range of temperatures, can withstand short freezing and heat. At home, this plant often burns heavily during fires, after this remains a black trunk, but later it is restored. |
| Humidity | Easily adapts to low humidity |
| Lighting | Suitable bright light, but can adapt to penumbra conditions. |
| The soil | It requires very breathable soil, for example, from equal parts of soddy land, leafy earth, coarse-grained sand or perlite and peat. You can add to the soil pieces of gravel, broken bricks. In nature xanthorrhoea grows very poor stony soils, but can accelerate the growth of more fertile substrate. Very good drainage is required. |
| Watering | Watered as the soil dries to a depth of about 5 cm. It is not recommended to place the pot in a pan (with the exception of keeping it in hot weather) to avoid stagnation of moisture. In general, the plant easily tolerates drought. |
| How to fertilize | It does not require a lot of fertilizer, as they can be toxic to the plant. You can use fertilizers with slowly released components. As a top dressing is also recommended, for example, potassium sulfate, occasionally cow dung. Extremely undesirable top dressing with high phosphorus content. |
| Reproduction | Spread xantorrhea with seeds. You can sow them in organic substrate from peat and sand, immersing to a depth of 3-6 mm. Above, a little sanded. It is also possible to germinate the seeds in a mixture of sand and perlite (1: 1), placing them at a depth of about 6 mm, but in this case the seedlings after germination must be transplanted into the soil mixture with perlite. You can also use a mixture of 3 parts perlite and 1 part peat. Before sowing, seeds are sometimes treated with a fungicide. Germination takes from 2 to 7 weeks, although it can last even up to a year. The substrate must be moist, but not wet.Formation of a tree from a seedling will last a very long time. |
| Bloom | Flowers do not represent decorative value. At home, as a rule, it does not bloom, as for the emergence of a peduncle the plant must reach a height of at least 80 cm. In natural conditions, flowering usually occurs after fires (when growing in the garden, some growers even slightly scorch the plant with a blow lamp, it is unacceptable). In the case of the appearance of flowers, they should be removed in advance, since flowering significantly weakens the plant |
| Transplant and care | Xanthorea extremely badly tolerates transplant. It has a very weak root system, its small brown roots are extremely sensitive. If it is necessary to increase the size of the pot, it is recommended to remove the old pot very carefully, so that it will not be destroyed by an earthen lump. Better even cut the walls and separate the bottom, if the pot is plastic. In the new pot, drainage is poured, an old earthen lump is placed on its surface, the space at the walls is covered with a new substrate, the surface of the soil for beauty is often sprinkled with gravel and rubble. After transplantation of the plant for a long time adapting. It is required to periodically remove dry and fallen leaves to prevent fungal infection. The leaves of xanthorea live about 2-3 years, after which they wither, forming a “cap” from dead straw. These leaves are removed in a timely manner. If dry brown tips appear, then the leaves can be cut 1/3 – 1/2 of their length. This will stimulate new growth. |
| Difficulties | One of the most common pests are spider mites, mealy worms, scabies. |
| Beneficial features | Australian aborigines collect resin flakes around the base of the stem, heat them and roll into balls. Later they heat the resin and use it to glue together the copies and boomerangs and repair the broken tools. They also apply pieces of dried flowers to obtain fire by rubbing. From the inflorescences they also make a sweet fresh drink, pods with seeds are used for cutting meat. European settlers in Australia used resin for the production of lacquer. For example, during the Second World War, cans of canned food sent to Australian troops in the Pacific were covered with a protective layer of this varnish that prevented the appearance of rust. |
| Toxicity | The plant is poisonous, its leaves are dangerous to animals. |
