Cordyline
Cordyline fruticosa · the Ti Plant
It comes from the islands of the western Pacific, a sword-leaved shrub in pink, red and purple. But it barely has a wild anymore: Austronesian voyagers carried it across the ocean by canoe so long ago that it survives chiefly as a plant people grow.
Family
Asparagaceae
Origin
Western Pacific
In the wild
Forest margins
Indoors
1–1.8 m
Growth
Moderate
With pets
Toxic
Where it's from
Papuasia to the western Pacific
An island shrub
New Guinea, the Solomons, Vanuatu, Fiji and out across the Pacific, on forest margins and clearings.
Outdoors: zones 10–12
Frost-free tropics only, down to about 10°C. Everywhere colder it must come indoors.
Carried, not wild
Most plants are near-sterile clones spread by people. There is no large distinct wild population.
A 3,000-year travel companion
Most Ti plants are near-sterile clones that Austronesian voyagers carried by canoe across the Pacific. In old Hawaii only chiefs and priests wore its leaves in ceremony, red for blood and the dead, green for peace and healing. Its root still ferments and distils into the traditional liquor okolehao.
A food plant too
The starchy rhizome is baked into a sweet molasses-like pulp, and the leaves wrap and cook food.
Hula and lei
Ti leaves are the basis of hula skirts, lei and wraps across the islands.
Grows from a bare log
Sold as a 'ti log', a dry-looking cane segment that sprouts a whole new plant when laid in soil or water.
How to keep it
LightBright, indirect
Keeps the colours vivid. Variegation fades toward green in low light. Avoid harsh afternoon sun, which scorches.
WaterKeep evenly moist
Water when the top inch or two dries. Sensitive to fluoride and salts in tap water, which brown the tips. Reduce in winter.
HumidityMedium to highDry indoor and winter air browns the tips. A pebble tray or humidifier helps.
Temperature18–35°CWarmth-loving. Does not tolerate below about 10°C.
SoilMoist, well-drained, fertileA loamy or peat-based mix, acidic to neutral.
FeedingBalanced, in growthA balanced feed through the growing season, light in winter.
DifficultyModerateEasy to keep alive, but tip burn from hard water and dry air is hard to avoid.
With petsToxicSaponins. Vomiting, depression, loss of appetite and dilated pupils in cats if chewed.
PropagationCuttings or logsStem cuttings and cane 'logs' that sprout in soil or water. Sterile clones reproduce only this way.
RepottingEvery 1–2 yearsPot up when rootbound.
What the data says
What it costs
Mass-propagated from cuttings and widely available. No collector bubble here.
$10–30
Named variegated forms like Florida and Cameroon run a little higher at specialty nurseries, but stay modest.
IUCN · Not evaluated
In the wild
The inverse of the usual 'vanishing in the wild' story.
Ti is a human-spread cultigen, not a wild-population species of concern. It was domesticated and carried across the Pacific so long ago that it survives chiefly as a cultivated plant. Its habitat, in effect, is the human garden.
When it sulks
Brown leaf tips and marginsFluoride, chloride or salt in tap water, and dry air. Once browned it cannot be reversed, so prevent it.
Colours fading to greenToo little light.
Scorched or bleached patchesToo much direct sun.
Mushy baseOverwatering or soggy soil, leading to root rot.
PestsSpider mites, mealybugs, scale, aphids and thrips.
Varieties & company
The varieties
Red SisterFloridaCameroonGlaucaBaby Doll
Pairs with · keep apart from
CalatheaFernsAnthuriumSnake PlantCactiSucculents
A new plant, every week.
The Data Drop from Sheets Works. New field guides like this one, in your inbox.
