Scientific name: Family Xanthorrhoeaceae Xanthorroea preissii

Aboriginal uses:

• One of four blackboy or grass tree species which grow in Perth.


• The Balga had many uses by Aboriginal people.


• The gum from the flowering spike was made into cakes.


• Bunches of dried leaves were made into torches for hunting at night.


• The leaves were thatched into roofing material for huts ("Myas").


• Bardi grubs were collected from the trunks of dying trees. They were eaten either raw or roasted.


• The dead flower stem was used as a friction instrument to make fire.


• A black resin from the trunk was used as an adhesive to attach spear points to shafts.


• Flowering time is from January to November