Grass trees can live for centuries, slowly inching upwards year after year, but it only takes a month or so for them to die from the introduced plant disease Phytophthora dieback.
A "biodiversity bulldozer", according to ecologist Mark Garkaklis, dieback is capable of wreaking havoc on an entire ecosystem when it infects plants.
Australia's iconic grass trees and banksias are particularly susceptible to the disease.
