This is one of my favourite native trees - the Cabbage tree (Cordyline australis), often found on roadsides and in swampy places through out New Zealand.
It can grow up to 15 m tall, first as a single stem then branches out to have many crowns.
It has attractive bunches of creamy white flowers in the spring.
Cabbage trees were a valuable food source for the Maori people and sometimes the early settlers, and the new shoots bear a resemblance in taste to cabbbage hence the name!
5 comments:
Looking forward to spring, and seeing the beautiful flowers! They look like lovely trees.
xo CGF
Their name amuses me - conjures up images of cabbages on stalks.
We have something else tqiiicin common! I think we have one of these - or something very similar in our front garden. We thought it was just a small cordalyne but then it grew, and grew and now is the tallest tree in the estate.
Those seeds attract starlings and we often have what seems like every starling in Northumberland gathering on our rooftop ready to pounce as soon as there is a spare branch to sit on!
Have you ever seen 'Birds' by Alfred Hitchcock?
Ooooh! I would love to see the flowers when they are in bloom!
When you mentioned the Maori people, it brought me back to my time in Japan when many of my friends were from NZ. One night, the guys did this Maori dance. It blew me away! Amazing!
I recall some videos you posted of this a while ago. It's so fascinating!
Tismee - I saw lots and lots of cabbage trees in England, especially in the South around Devon and Cornwall. Your tree will be one for sure. Or one of the Cordyline family. The birds obviously like it!
Chrissy - Maori dancing is very beautiful, colourful and when they do a haka, downright scary! I will post some more videos from time to time just for you.
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