Cordyline rubra
Encyclopedia
Cordyline rubra, known as the Palm Lily is an evergreen
Australian plant. It grows as a shrub to around 4 metres (13 ft) tall. Found in warm rainforest
and moist eucalyptus
forest. The range of natural distribution is from Lismore
to near Bundaberg, Queensland
.
Cordyline rubra was first described by the German botanists Christoph Friedrich Otto
and Albert Gottfried Dietrich
in 1848. The species name is from the Latin ruber "red".
Cordyline rubra is mainly identified by the leaf stems, which grow from 5 to 20 cm (2–8 in) long. They are flat or somewhat concave in shape. The leaves 15 to 50 cm (6–20 in) long, and 3 to 5.5 cm (1.4–2.2 in) wide, narrow elliptic in shape. Flowering occurs from summer, being lilac in colour. The fruit is a bright red berry, 10 mm (0.4 in) in diameter.They grow on panicles 10 to 40 cm (4-16 in) long.
This species propagates easily from seeds or stem cuttings. Cordyline rubra is not as widely seen in cultivation as C. australis, however it is also well suited to gardens with moist soils in semi shade. It is a resilient plant and can tolerate neglect. Also suited as an indoor pot plant. Occasionally it hybridizes with Cordyline petiolaris
in the wild.
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
Australian plant. It grows as a shrub to around 4 metres (13 ft) tall. Found in warm rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
and moist eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
forest. The range of natural distribution is from Lismore
Lismore, New South Wales
Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
to near Bundaberg, Queensland
Bundaberg, Queensland
Bundaberg is a city in Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Local Government Area of the Bundaberg Region and is a major centre within Queensland's broader Wide Bay-Burnett geographical region...
.
Cordyline rubra was first described by the German botanists Christoph Friedrich Otto
Christoph Friedrich Otto
Christoph Friedrich Otto was a German gardener and botanist. He was born in Schneeberg, Saxony. From 1805 to 1843 he was inspector of the Botanical Garden in Berlin. Together with Albert Gottfried Dietrich he edited the Allgemeinen Gartenzeitung from 1833 until his death in 1856 in Berlin.The...
and Albert Gottfried Dietrich
Albert Gottfried Dietrich
Albert Gottfried Dietrich was a German botanist who was a native of Danzig.Dietrich was curator at the Botanical Garden in Berlin and was an instructor at the institute of horticulture at Berlin-Schöneberg...
in 1848. The species name is from the Latin ruber "red".
Cordyline rubra is mainly identified by the leaf stems, which grow from 5 to 20 cm (2–8 in) long. They are flat or somewhat concave in shape. The leaves 15 to 50 cm (6–20 in) long, and 3 to 5.5 cm (1.4–2.2 in) wide, narrow elliptic in shape. Flowering occurs from summer, being lilac in colour. The fruit is a bright red berry, 10 mm (0.4 in) in diameter.They grow on panicles 10 to 40 cm (4-16 in) long.
This species propagates easily from seeds or stem cuttings. Cordyline rubra is not as widely seen in cultivation as C. australis, however it is also well suited to gardens with moist soils in semi shade. It is a resilient plant and can tolerate neglect. Also suited as an indoor pot plant. Occasionally it hybridizes with Cordyline petiolaris
Cordyline petiolaris
Cordyline petiolaris, known as the Broad leaved Palm Lily is an evergreen Australian plant. A shrub to around 5 metres tall. Found in warm rainforest and moist eucalyptus forest. The range of natural distribution is from the Nambucca River to near Gladstone, Queensland.Leaves 30 to 80 cm long, and...
in the wild.