129842 Cabbage Palm Cordyline australis (Agavaceae) HEIGHT to 13m
A superficially palm-like evergreen. Trees that have flowered have a forked trunk with a crown of foliage on top of each fork. BARK Pale brownish-grey, ridged and furrowed. LEAVES Tall, bare trunks are crowned with dense masses of long, spear-like, parallel-veined leaves, to 90cm long and 8cm wide. Upper leaves are mostly erect, but lower leaves hang down to cover top of trunk. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers are produced in midsummer in large spikes, to 1.2m long comprising numerous small, fragrant, creamy-white flowers, each about 1cm across, with 6 lobes and 6 stamens. Fruit is a small rounded bluish-white berry about 6mm across containing several black seeds. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of New Zealand, planted here for ornament. It survives quite far north, as long as there is some protection from severe cold, and tolerates a range of soil types. Often used to create the illusion of sub-tropical conditions in coastal resorts.
