XANTHORRHOEA preissii. Grass tree. West Australia. Imagine a narrow leaved bunchgrass with a trunk, and you have a fair image of this strange plant. It spends its first several years as a dense fountain of arching, almost threadlike, dark green leaves. Eventually it forms a stout, black trunk, which extends very slowly to an ultimate height of 10' or more, and the leaves become successively longer, until they reach 2-4'. Older plants bear thick candles of tiny white flowers, held on long stalks above the foliage. A bizarre yet highly ornamental plant for containers, or dotted over banks or hillsides, or planted like the cordylines and yuccas as specimen-shrub substitutes. Sun or light shade, well drained soil, moderate to occasional watering. Hardy to 20^oF or less.