Ti Kouka - cabbage tree - cordyline australis
A magnificent stand of Ti Kouka in the Wainuiomata Valley, Wellington, New Zealand.
Such an icon of New Zealand landscape the cabbage tree is looking amazing this season - covered in flower!
Commonly known as the Cabbage tree, Tī is a widely branched monocot tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows up to 20 metres (66 ft) tall with a stout trunk and sword-like leaves, which are clustered at the tips of the branches and can be up to 1 metre (3 ft) long.
With its tall, straight trunk and dense, rounded heads, C. australis is a characteristic feature of the New Zealand landscape. Sillouetted against the skyline, the cabbage tree is an iconic symbol of New Zealand.
Its fruit is a favourite food source for the New Zealand pigeon and other native birds. It is common over a wide latitudinal range from the far north of the North Island at 34° 25'S to the south of the South Island at 46° 30'S. It grows in a broad range of habitats, including forest margins, river banks and open places, and is abundant near swamps. The largest known tree with a single trunk is growing at Pakawau, Golden Bay. It is estimated to be 400 or 500 years old, and stands 17 metres (56 ft) tall with a circumference of 9 metres (30 ft) at the base. Known to Māori as Tī kōuka, the tree (in particular its large taproot) was used as a source of food, particularly in the South Island, where it was cultivated in areas where other crops would not grow. It provided durable fibre for textiles, anchor ropes, fishing lines, baskets, waterproof rain capes and cloaks, and sandals. It is also grown as an ornamental tree in Northern Hemisphere countries with mild maritime climates, including the warmer parts of Britain, where its common names include Torquay palm. Hardy and fast growing, C. australis is widely planted in New Zealand gardens, parks and streets, and numerous cultivars are available.
Before it flowers, it has a slender unbranched stem. After the first flowering, it divides to form a much-branched crown with tufts of leaves at the tips of the branches. Each branch may fork after producing a flowering stem. The pale to dark grey bark is corky, persistent and fissured, and feels spongy to the touch.
The long narrow leaves are sword-shaped, erect, dark to light green, 40 to 100 cm (15–40 in) long and 3 to 7 cm (12–28 in) wide at the base, with numerous parallel veins. Leaves grow in crowded clusters at the ends of the branches, and may droop slightly at the tips and bend down from the bases when old.
In spring and early summer, sweetly perfumed flowers are produced in large, dense panicles (flower spikes) 60 to 100 cm (2–3 ft) long. The flowers are crowded along the ultimate branches of the panicles. The fruit is a white berry 5 to 7 mm (2–3 in) in diameter which is greedily eaten by birds. The nectar attracts great numbers of insects to the flowers.
Ti Kouka - cabbage tree - cordyline australis
A magnificent stand of Ti Kouka in the Wainuiomata Valley, Wellington, New Zealand.
Such an icon of New Zealand landscape the cabbage tree is looking amazing this season - covered in flower!
Commonly known as the Cabbage tree, Tī is a widely branched monocot tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows up to 20 metres (66 ft) tall with a stout trunk and sword-like leaves, which are clustered at the tips of the branches and can be up to 1 metre (3 ft) long.
With its tall, straight trunk and dense, rounded heads, C. australis is a characteristic feature of the New Zealand landscape. Sillouetted against the skyline, the cabbage tree is an iconic symbol of New Zealand.
Its fruit is a favourite food source for the New Zealand pigeon and other native birds. It is common over a wide latitudinal range from the far north of the North Island at 34° 25'S to the south of the South Island at 46° 30'S. It grows in a broad range of habitats, including forest margins, river banks and open places, and is abundant near swamps. The largest known tree with a single trunk is growing at Pakawau, Golden Bay. It is estimated to be 400 or 500 years old, and stands 17 metres (56 ft) tall with a circumference of 9 metres (30 ft) at the base. Known to Māori as Tī kōuka, the tree (in particular its large taproot) was used as a source of food, particularly in the South Island, where it was cultivated in areas where other crops would not grow. It provided durable fibre for textiles, anchor ropes, fishing lines, baskets, waterproof rain capes and cloaks, and sandals. It is also grown as an ornamental tree in Northern Hemisphere countries with mild maritime climates, including the warmer parts of Britain, where its common names include Torquay palm. Hardy and fast growing, C. australis is widely planted in New Zealand gardens, parks and streets, and numerous cultivars are available.
Before it flowers, it has a slender unbranched stem. After the first flowering, it divides to form a much-branched crown with tufts of leaves at the tips of the branches. Each branch may fork after producing a flowering stem. The pale to dark grey bark is corky, persistent and fissured, and feels spongy to the touch.
The long narrow leaves are sword-shaped, erect, dark to light green, 40 to 100 cm (15–40 in) long and 3 to 7 cm (12–28 in) wide at the base, with numerous parallel veins. Leaves grow in crowded clusters at the ends of the branches, and may droop slightly at the tips and bend down from the bases when old.
In spring and early summer, sweetly perfumed flowers are produced in large, dense panicles (flower spikes) 60 to 100 cm (2–3 ft) long. The flowers are crowded along the ultimate branches of the panicles. The fruit is a white berry 5 to 7 mm (2–3 in) in diameter which is greedily eaten by birds. The nectar attracts great numbers of insects to the flowers.