Tropical Pacific shrub with broad strap-like leaves in deep green, red, pink, or variegated forms. Leaves are the traditional Polynesian hula skirt material, food wrapping, and a fibre for clothing.
Hardiness ratings
| System | Rating | Temperature range | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDA hardiness zone | Zone 10–12 | −1.1 °C to 15.6 °C | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| RHS hardiness rating | H1c | 5 °C to 10 °C | Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance |
| Canadian plant hardiness zone | Zone 9 | −1 °C and warmer | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| Australian (ANBG) zone | Zone 5–7 | 5 °C and warmer | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
Growing notes
- Leaf fibre — leaves are tied or sewn into hula skirts and grass skirts, used as food wrappers (especially for laulau and lap-lap), and stripped for rough cordage
- Distinct from the cabbage tree Cordyline australis (already in the database as `cordyline`) — Cordyline australis is a hardy tree of cool New Zealand climates, C. fruticosa is a tropical shrub
- Considered a sacred plant in many Pacific cultures — boundary marker, lei material, and ceremonial wrapping
- Frost-tender — needs warm humid conditions, grown as a houseplant outside the tropics
- Not reliably hardy outdoors in Canada — Canadian zone values shown represent the system maximum and do not imply garden cultivation north of the warmest coastal pockets.
Categories
Related plants
Cross-check Ti plant (Cordyline fruticosa) against your zones