The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Cordyline pumilio

Etymology

Cordyline: From the Greek kordyle 'club'
pumilio: Small, dwarf

Common Name(s)

dwarf cabbage tree, ti koraha, ti rauriki

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Not Threatened

Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB

Previous Conservation Status

2009 - Not Threatened
2004 - Not Threatened

Authority

Cordyline pumilio Hook.f.

Family

Asparagaceae

Brief Description

Small shrub consisting of a tuft of long very narrow leaves and often without a visible trunk. Easiest to identify by the long sparse sprays of small white or pink flowers developing into a blueish fruit. Leaves to 1m long x 1-2cm at widest, tapering into a grooved leaf stalk.

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

CORPUM

Structural Class

Monocotyledonous Trees and Shrubs

Synonyms

None

Distribution

Endemic. North Island from Te Paki (North Cape) to Kawhia Harbour in the west and Bay of Plenty in the East.

Habitat

Coastal to montane. Often in gumland and other shrubland. Common in kauri (Agathis australis) forest, especially along ridgelines and around slip scars.

Features

Plant forming leafy tufts up to 1 m tall, trunk usually absent, rarely sparingly developed, occasionally reaching up to 2 m tall. Plants often flowering while short stem is leafy to ground; in older plants bare part of stem up to 0.1 × 0.15 mm and usually sprawling, rarely stiffly erect. Leaves 0.30–0.60–1.00(-1.30) × 0.01–0.02 m, yellow-green to green (sometimes red-spotted) ± narrowed above base into channelled petiole; midrib prominent abaxially, at least proximally; margin slightly recurved. Inflorescence an openly, sparingly branched panicle up 0.1 × 0.8 m, axes slender branched to second order;bracts often small and inconspicuous; ultimate racemes 50–300 mm long, axis clearly visible between flowers. Peduncle to 100 × 3–4 mm. Flowers small, widely spaced; pedicels 3-5(-10) mm long, Perianth c.4–5 mm long, whitish, or pink externally; tepals narrow, recurved, 3-nerved. Stigma shortly trifid. Fruit c.4–5 mm diameter, globose, bluish or flecked with blue. Seeds c.2.0–2.5 mm. long, shining, two sides flat and one convex. Description adapted from Moore & Edgar (1970).

Similar Taxa

Easily distinguished from all other Cordyline in New Zealand by its usually "stemless" growth habit (the stems are actually buried beneath the soil). More frequently confused with Dianella or Libertia from which it is easily distinguished by the, yellow-green, prominently ribbed leaves and much larger, lax paniculate inflorescences, and small, globular bluish to white flecked fruits.

Flowering

October - January

Flower Colours

Red / Pink,White

Fruiting

March - May

Propagation Technique

Easily grown from fresh seed and stem cuttings. Does well in full sun in a well drained soil. It an excellent plant for a raised garden or for pot culture on for example a deck. A purple-leaved form of Corydline pumilio is now very popular in cultivation.

Threats

Not Threatened

Chromosome No.

2n = 38

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Fleshy berries are dispersed by frugivory (Thorsen et al., 2009).

This page last updated on 2 Jul 2014