Cordyline is a genus of about 24 species of woody monocotyledonous flowering plants in family Asparagaceae, subfamily Lomandroideae. The subfamily has previously been treated as a separate family Laxmanniaceae, or Lomandraceae. Other authors have placed the genus in the Agavaceae (now Agavoideae). Cordyline is native to the western Pacific Ocean region, from New Zealand, eastern Australia, southeastern Asia and Polynesia, with one species found in southeastern South America.
The name Cordyline comes from the Greek word kordyle, meaning "club," a reference to the enlarged underground stems or rhizomes.
Species
, the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families accepted 24 species: Cordyline angustissima K.Schum. – New Guinea Cordyline australis (G.Forst.) Endl. (Cabbage Tree) – New Zealand Cordyline banksii Hook.f. (syn. C. diffusa Colenso.) – New Zealand Cordyline cannifolia R.Br. – Australia: N.E. Northern Territory, N.E. Queensland Cordyline casanovae Linden ex André – Vanuatu Cordyline congesta (Sweet) Steud. (syn. C. dracaenoides Kunth) – Australia: S.E. Queensland to N.E. New South Wales Cordyline diffusa Colenso. (syn. C. banksii Hook.f.) – New Zealand Cordyline forbesii Rendle – Papua New Guinea Cordyline fruticosa (L.) A.Chev. – Papuasia to W. Pacific Cordyline indivisa (G.Forst.) Endl. (mountain cabbage tree) – New Zealand (syn. Cordyline hectori, Cordyline hookeri) Cordyline lateralis Lauterb. – New Guinea Cordyline ledermannii K.Krause – New Guinea Cordyline manners-suttoniae F.Muell. – Australia: N.E. Queensland Cordyline mauritiana (Lam.) J.F.Macbr. – Mascarenes Cordyline minutiflora Ridl. – New Guinea Cordyline murchisoniae F.Muell. (syn. C. haageana K.Koch) – Australia: E. Queensland Cordyline neocaledonica (Baker) B.D.Jacks. – New Caledonia Cordyline obtecta (Graham) Baker – Norfolk Island, N. New Zealand North Island Cordyline petiolaris (Domin) Pedley – Australia: S.E. Queensland to N.E. New South Wales Cordyline pumilio Hook.f. – New Zealand North Island Cordyline racemosa Ridl. – New Guinea Cordyline rubra Otto & A.Dietr. – Australia: S.E. Queensland to N.E. New South Wales Cordyline schlechteri Lauterb. – New Guinea Cordyline sellowiana Kunth – Bolivia to Brazil and N. Argentina Cordyline stricta (Sims) Endl. – Australia: S.E. Queensland to N.E. New South Wales
Formerly placed here
Dracaena aletriformis (Haw.) Bos (as C. rumphii Hook.) Dracaena elliptica Thunb. & Dalm. (as C. maculata (Roxb.) Planch. and C. sieboldii Planch.) Dracaena fragrans (L.) Ker Gawl. (as C. fragrans (L.) Planch.)
Cultivation and uses
Members of the group are often grown as ornamental plants - notably C. australis and C. fruticosa. Many species have been used as a foodstuff and medicine, for additional details on these and other uses see the article on C. australis. The rhizome was roasted in an hangi (earth oven) by Māori to extract sugar.
In the highlands of Papua New Guinea. leaves of Cordyline and other plants are tied to sticks to mark taboo areas where pandanus language must be spoken during karuka harvest.
References
Asparagaceae genera
Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)