Consulta Plantas

Care of the shrub Cordyline australis or Cabbage tree

The genus Cordyline, family Asparagaceae, comprises 12 species of evergreen trees and shrubs native to Australia, India, New Zealand, and Polynesia. Some species are: Cordyline australis, Cordyline fruticosa, Cordyline dracaenoides, Cordyline indivisa, Cordyline stricta.

Common names: Cabbage tree, Cabbage-palm. This species is native to New Zealand.

They are shrubs that reach 15 meters (49.2 feet) in height but in pot do not usually exceed 2 meters (6.56 feet) in height. The leaves (deep green or purple) are 90 cm (2.95 feet) long, sword-shaped, and arched. The flowers appear in white spikes and are scented; indoors they do not usually bloom. They bloom in spring when the plants are over 8 years old.

They are used as indoor and greenhouse plants; in frost-free regions they are grown in groups or as isolated specimens; They are ideal plants for gardens with a Mediterranean climate.

Cordyline australis needs direct sunlight or semi-shade exposure. They do not resist frost.

The soil can be a mixture of peat, leaf mulch, and coarse sand in the same proportions. Transplant every spring when the plants are young (less than 7 years) and every 3 years when they are adults.

Water abundantly in spring and summer (never flood); reduce watering in winter ensuring that the soil does not dry out completely.

Fertilize every 15 days with mineral fertilizer from mid-spring to late summer.

They can be attacked by flat mealybugs and woolly mealybugs.

They propagate by seeds sown in spring, by cuttings from old stems or from the shoots that the plant produces at the base.

Images of the shrub Cordyline australis or Cabbage tree