Rare New Zealand Plants
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| Some amazingly rare New Zealand plants grow in downtown
Seattle. They are boldly handsome and we ought to have more. Alas, it seems
no North American nursery sells specimens. To get any, one must
import seeds from New Zealand. In the 1980s a Seattleite did this, and
the resulting seedlings were shared among the arboretum, Volunteer
Park conservatory, city gardeners, etc. At the time nobody knew if the
plants would survive here or not, or if they would be beautiful. Well,
specimens at the arboretum died. None is at the conservatory. But a pair in
urns decorate the Bus Tunnel's Pioneer Square exit in front of the
Public Safety building's 3rd avenue side. They look like
Yucca or Agave plants, which are primarily desert species. Yet this New Zealand member of
the Agave family, grows in moist, cool mountain regions. The Maori
name is Toi, and its scientific name is Cordyline
indivisa. English names are blue dracena, mountain cabbage tree, or broadleaf cabbage tree.
The leaves are enormous and tropical looking, up to 6 feet long and 8
inches wide. Usually the tree grows 10 to 20 feet tall. Finicky as to
cultivation, it is apparently ill suited to heavy clay soil, notably hot or cold areas,
and dry conditions. It is likely to succeed best in moist, cool partly
shaded locations on the Pacific Coast. |
Its common cousin
Cordyline australis (Maori: Ti Kouka) is frequent in tubs and yards around Seattle,
with leaves only about an inch or two wide. Easy to grow, it tolerates
swampy or wet ground as well as drought conditions. They were called
cabbage trees because early settlers ate the young tender heads, cabbage style.
This act kills the plant, so is inexcusable.
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(originally published in The Seattle Weekly, December 1996)
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