Cordyline  Baker (1875)
Greek: kordyle = a club (referring to the fleshy roots)

Cordyline australis (Cabbage Palm)
a palm-like tree from New Zealand, with a single trunk up to 30 ft but usually 10-15 ft. Unlike most real palms the trunk may branch after flowering and can recover from losing its apical bud. The trunk of mature plants may have a crown of many branches each carrying a tuft of leaves.
 
The stiff sword-like leaves are 2-3 ft long and 1-2 inches wide and do not have the sharp terminal spines or sharp edges associated with many Agavaceae.
 
Flowers (lower right) are panicles of tiny creamy-white sweetly fragrant flowers followed by yellow berries.

Left: Cordyline australis cv. Southern Splendour
Brightly coloured cultivars of the Cabbage Palm are becoming available, but may be less hardy than the parent.

Cordyline canniifolia (Palm Lily) is a shrubby understorey plant, native to rainforests and eucalyptus forests in northern Queensland and the Northern Territory of Australia.
 
The thin brown 5-10ft canes are crowned with glossy-green, lanceolate leaves whose under-surface is a glaucous green. The pendulous raceme of small white flowers is followed by red berries.

Cordyline fruticosa (Hawaian Ti plant) is a shrubby tree up to 10ft tall with a stout, unbranched trunk bearing tufts of leaves at the top, sometimes suckering from the basal tuberous rhyzome. The large, glossy sword-shaped leaves on long petioles, may be green to reddish-purple or marked with purple, red, yellow or white. The inflorescence from a mature plant is a cluster of sweetly-scented small yellow to red flowers followed by clusters of red berries.

Cordyline fruticosa probably originated in South-East Asia and Papua New Guinea, but was spread throughout the Pacific area by Polynesian migrants who used the starchy rhizomes for food. The leaves were used to make the traditional Hawaiian hula skirt and for thatching houses.
 
Cordyline fruticosa is often sold as a small foliage plant without a trunk, when leaves are present along the entire stem. Numerous variegated and brightly coloured cultivars are available. Plants tolerate shade to bright light and appreciate humidity, but hot dry sun may scorch the leaves.
 
Left: Cordyline fruticosa cv. tango

Cordyline indivisia (Mountain or Broad-Leaved Cabbage Tree) has much wider glaucous leaves than Cordyline australis. It is native to the mountains of New Zealand, especially in Eastern parts of the South Island, and is grown as an ornamental plant in milder parts of Great Britain and Southern Ireland where frost is rare. It makes a distinctive feature plant with an exotic appearance. When stressed by heat, water shortage or attacked by the bacterium Phytoplasma australiense, the plants may undergo sudden collapse.

Cordyline petiolaris (Broad-Leaved Palm Lily ) is native to rainforests and eucalyptus forests of North-Eastern New South Wales and South-Eastern Queensland.
 
The narrow 20ft trunk carries a crown of glossy-green, eliptical leaves with exceptionally long, inrolled petioles (leaf stalks), hence the epiphet petiolaris. Fraying or browning of the leaf tips is characteristic. Panicles of small, white to pale pink flowers are produced from the upper leaf axils, and are followed by dark-red berries.

Cordyline stricta (Narrow Palm Lily) is native to rainforests and eucalyptus forests of North-Eastern New South Wales and South-Eastern Queensland. This plant is widely cultivated as a container plant, but is not frost hardy.
 
Cordyline stricta has an unbranching stem up to 15 ft tall, bearing long, linear 2 ft leaves about an inch wide. The leaf bases form a green sheath around the stem. Panicles of small white to purple flowers are produced, mostly from the upper leaf axils and are followed by black berries. The plant spreads by suckering.

Cultivation: With their smoothly-edged leaves and absence of terminal spines, Cordylines are suitable for planting near paths or in patio planters. The leathery leaves tolerate a certain amount of abuse. Use a free-draining potting mixture to protect the tuberous rhyzomes against excessive wet.
 
Cordyline australis is used extensively in landscaping in temperate climates. Many large specimens can be seen in Southern England. The potential to grow 30 ft tall should be borne in mind when planting a small Cordyline australis near buildings. The root of Cordyline australis is a large rhizome with fibrous roots, which may account for over a quarter of the total biomass of the plant. While not generally considered invasive, the root mass could press against adjacent structures causing damage.
 
Cordyline australis is the most cold-hardy Cordyline and cold wet roots or penetration of cold water into the growing point are more likely to kill the plant than frost. A young plant can have its crown protected with straw during winters, until established. Dead leaves tend to remain as felting on the stem, and can generally be removed. However, they do provide some protection and help to collect moisture in dry climates.
 
Other Cordyline species grow as small shrubs suitable for patio pots that can be brought indoors or covered before the first frosts. Numerous variegated and brightly coloured cultivars are available, especially of C. fructicosa and C. terminalis. Hot dry sun may burn the leaves and the plants appreciate humidity. Propagation is generally easy from cuttings, rhyzome division or seed.