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Cordyline fruticosa
Asparagaceae FAMILY

Cordyline fruticosa

Cordyline fruticosa

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
Growth—

Prefers a fertile, well-drained soil in a sunny or lightly shaded position[1]. Cultivars with coloured leaves need to be grown in full sun in order to bring out the full extent of their colouring[1]. Plants can flower and fruit al year round[2]. A very variable species[2]. Some forms are cultivated for their large, tuberous roots[3].

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak for about 10 minutes in warm water and sow in pots. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 3 months at 25°c[4]. There is usually a good percentage germination[5]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow them on until they are at least 10cm tall before planting them out. Stem cuttings - cut off the main stem just below the head and then saw off 5cm thick blocks of stem and place them 3cm deep in pure peat in a shaded position. Keep them moist until they are rooting well, then pot them up into individual pots. Plant out when they are making good growth. Suckers. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Cordyline+fruticosa>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]Tropical Ornamentals; A Guide — Whistler. W. Arthur. · Timber Press Inc. Oregon. · 2000 · ISBN 0-88192-448-2 ↩︎An excellent little guide to some of the more commonly cultivated ornamental plants of the Tropics, often giving some information on the plants other uses.
  2. [2]Flora Vitiensis Nova — Smith. A.C. · Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden; Hawaii · 1979 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎A comprehensive flora of Fiji, often showing plant uses. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  3. [3]Agroforestry in the Pacific Islands: Systems for Sustainability — W.C. Clarke and R.R. Thaman (Editors) · United Nations University Press, Tokyo · 1993 · http://www.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/80824e/80824E00.htm#Contents · ISBN 92-808-0824-9 ↩︎The guide includes information on 100 species of plants for Agroforestry. It is also available on the web at the address given above.
  4. [4]Growing from Seed. Volume 4. — Bird. R. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1990 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.
  5. [5]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  6. [6]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  7. [7]Cornucopia II — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications, California. · 1998 · ISBN 0-9628087-2-5 ↩︎The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
  8. [8]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  9. [9]The Useful Plants of the Island of Guam — Safford W.E. · Smithsonian Institute; Washington. · 1905 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ ↩︎A very comprehensive, if rather dated, guide to the plants of Guam. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  10. [10]Medicinal Plants in the South Pacific — WHO Regional Publications, Manilla. · 1998 · ISBN 92-9061-118-9 ↩︎Excellent guide to 102 medicinal herbs of the Pacific Islands, with photographs of each plant and details of their constituents, biological activities and traditional uses. A description of each plant, together with habitat and distribution is given.
  11. [11]Medicinal Plants of the Guianas — DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J. · Smithsonian Museum · http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html ↩︎A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region
  12. [12]Hawaiian Ethnobotany Online Database — http://www2.bishopmuseum.org/ethnobotanydb/index.asp ↩︎Brief details on over 100 species of Hawaiian plants.