Plant in full to part sun in a very well-drained soil and irrigate only occasionally to infrequently. Being a smaller Grass-tree, this species looks a bit like a stiff grass in the landscape, but when it is in bloom it adds to its attractiveness.

Xanthorrhoea caespitosa comes from far south-eastern South Australia and is closely allied with the Southern Grass-tree, Xanthorrhoea australis and sometimes it is listed as a synonym with it, but unlike the larger Southern Grass Tree, it doesn't form a trunk and has grayer green glaucous leaves that are wedge shaped and concave on the upper surface. It also tends to flower later from spring to early summer while Xanthorrhoea australis tends to flower earlier. There have also been suggestions that this plant is a naturally occurring hybrid between Xanthorrhoea australis and Xanthorrhoea minor and often one, or both, of these other species are present near populations of Xanthorrhoea caespitosa. Compare the information to our descriptions of Xanthorrhoea australis and Xanthorrhoea minor, which we also grow.

Xanthorrhoea is a genus with about 30 species endemic to Australia that was once included in the large lily family, the Liliaceace, but taxonomists later placed it in its own montypic family that also included such genera as Kingia, Dasypogon and Lomandra. The current nomenclature has it in its own subfamily, the Xanthorrhoeoideae, as part of the large Asphodel family, the Asphodelaceae, which includes such other familiar plants as Aloe, Bulbine, Dianella, Hemerocallis, Kniphofia and Phormium. Though often associated with succulents or trees, the Xanthorrhoea are actually long-lived perennials with secondary thickening wood-like meristem forming in the stems.

The name for the genus comes from the Greek words 'xanthos', meaning "yellow" and 'rheo' meaning "to flow" in reference to the resin of this plant that was collected from around the base of the stem by Aboriginal Australians who heated and rolled it into balls and used it for various purposes. The specific epithet is the Latin word meaning "growing in tufts" or "densely-clumped". This species is sometimes commonly called called Sand-heath Grass-tree.

Our plants of this species were grown from seed collected from selected specimens in their natural habitat in Australia by Atilla Kapitany, plant explorer, lecturer and author of Australian Grass Trees Xanthorrhoea and Kingia and Australian Succulent Plants. 

The information displayed on this page about Xanthorrhoea caespitosa is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.