Cordyline stricta

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information:

Wikipedia links:       Angiosperms > Monocots > Commelinids > Cordyline stricta

Other links:     

Plant  information

Common name:                Slender Palm Lily  

• Also, Narrow-leaved Palm Lily

Conservation status:  Not considered to be at risk in the wild

Etymology:   

• The name Cordyline comes from the Greek word kordyle, meaning "club," a reference to the enlarged underground stems or rhizomes

• stricta — Latin for straight or rigid, referring to this species' long, upright stems

Flowers:                  

• Mauve flowers form on panicles, 20 to 40 cm long

• The flowering stem is 15 to 30 cm long

Fruit:                         

• Fruit are purple to black, 10 to 15 mm in diameter

• This is the only Australian species of Cordyline with black fruit

Leaves:         

• Leaves are long and thin, 30 to 50 cm long, 1 to 2 cm wide

Stem & branches: 

• x

Roots:         

• x

Habit:        

• An evergreen  shrub to 5 m tall

Habitat:   

• Found in wet sclerophyll forest and rainforest

• Usually on the coastal lowlands

Distribution:                  

• From near Bilpin, NSW further north to Queensland

• It has become naturalised in Victoria

Additional notes:     

• Cultivation

  • Cordyline stricta is widely planted in gardens and commercial landscapes for the ornamental value of both its foliage and flower heads and berries

  • Its tall, narrow growth makes it useful as a screen plant 

  • It is adaptable to a wide range of climate and planting situations, from full sun to shade, and is moderately drought tolerant once established

  • It does not tolerate frost well

• Ecological

  • Cordyline stricta is a host plant for Yellow-streaked Swift caterpillars