A New Zealand evergreen with stiff fan-shaped clumps of long strappy leaves, dramatic in modern landscape design and historically harvested for strong fiber.
Description
New Zealand flax forms bold fans of upright sword-like leaves up to three metres tall. Wild forms are green or bronze, while modern cultivars feature stripes of pink, cream, or burgundy.
Cultivation
Tolerant of wind, salt, drought, and poor soil, New Zealand flax is a workhorse of seaside and minimalist gardens. Mature plants send up tall flower spikes loved by nectar-feeding birds.
Uses
Maori people called the plant harakeke and wove its fibers into cloaks, ropes, and baskets, fundamental to traditional life. In modern gardens it provides bold accent in mixed plantings.
Find more plants by letter
New Zealand Flax starts with N and ends with X. Browse other plants along the same letter.
Plants that contain a letter from "New Zealand Flax":