Xanthorrhoea glauca - Australian Grass Tree

Xanthorrhoea is an Australian native plant genus. Commonly called grass trees, Xanthorrhoea plants are also known as balga grass to the Australian aborigines, which is their word for black boy. The Aborigines probably called these plants balga because after a wild fire, the bottom leaves burn away revealing a singed black trunk with long green reed-like leaves extending from the top of the trunk giving the appearance of black figures. 

All species of Xanthorrhoea are very slow growing, but they are also very long lived -- up to 600 years!