Phormium tenax
| Phormium tenax | |
|---|---|
 |
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| A tui on a stalk of P. tenax flowers. | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| clade: | Angiosperms |
| clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Xanthorrhoeaceae |
| Subfamily: | Hemerocallidoideae |
| Genus: | Phormium |
| Species: | P. tenax |
| Binomial name | |
| Phormium tenax J.R.Forst.. & G.Forst. |
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Phormium tenax (harakeke in Māori, New Zealand flax) is an evergreen perennial plant native to New Zealand and Norfolk Island that is an important fibre plant and a popular ornamental plant.[1] The plant grows as a clump of long, straplike leaves, up to two meters long, from which arises a much taller flowering shoot, with dramatic yellow or red flowers.[1]
The fibre has been widely used since the arrival of Māori to New Zealand, originally in Māori traditional textiles and also in rope and sail making[2] after the arrival of Europeans up until at least WWII.
Contents |
[edit] Ecology
The jumping spider Trite planiceps lives predominantly in the rolled-up leaves of this species. Phormium tenax is a coastal cover plant associated with significant habitat such as the breeding habitat for the endangered Yellow-eyed Penguin.[3]
[edit] Cultivars
Several forms of this species have been selected for cultivation as decorative garden plants including:[4]
- 'Bronze Baby' - arching bronze leaves, 2-to-3-foot (0.61 to 0.91 m) plant.
- 'Dazzler' - arching leaves that are bronze-maroon with red and pink stripes, plant reaches 3 feet in height.
- 'Sundowner' - 6-foot-tall (1.8 m) plant, leaves are striped with bronze, green and rose-pink.
[edit] See also
- Phormium, covering both species
- Māori traditional textiles
[edit] References
- ^ a b Roger Holmes and Lance Walheim. 2005. California Home Landscaping, Creative Homeowner Press ISBN 9781580112543
- ^ http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-Gov09_02Rail-t1-body-d7-d2.html
- ^ C. Michael Hogan. 2009. Yellow-eyed Penguin: Megadypes antipodes, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
- ^ Frances Tenenbaum. 2003. "Taylor's Encyclopedia of Garden Plants", Houghton Mifflin Company ISBN 0618226443
[edit] Further reading
- James Hector. 1889. Phormium tenax as a fibrous plant, second edition, New Zealand. Geological Survey Dept, New Zealand, published by G. Didsbury, Government Printer, 95 pages
