New Zealand Flax

Phormium tenax

''Phormium tenax'' is an evergreen perennial plant native to New Zealand and Norfolk Island that is an important fibre plant and a popular ornamental plant. The plant grows as a clump of long, straplike leaves, up to two metres long, from which arises a much taller flowering shoot, with dramatic yellow or red flowers.
New Zealand Flax flower head A lovely accent plant, capable of growing to 3 metres in width and 2 metres in height. A slow growing perennial, loving a full sun location. These tall, eye-catching flower heads are very attractive to birds and insects and I always look forward to this time of year to see them in my garden developing, flowering and then the seed pods forming. Flax is named for its fibrous leaves, which can be used to make baskets and textiles. The Māori names for these plants are harakeke and kōrari. Asparagales,Asphodelaceae,Australia,Flora,Garden,Geotagged,Phormium tenax,Spring,botany,flower head,new zealand flax,plant

Habitat

The jumping spider ''Trite planiceps'' lives predominantly in the rolled-up leaves of this species. ''Phormium tenax'' is a coastal cover plant associated with significant habitat such as the breeding habitat for the endangered yellow-eyed penguin.
New Zealand flax seed heads plus grasses Here we can see a collection and display I have of dried New Zealand flax seed heads and assorted grasses from around my property, some or all of which may not be native to Australia. Asparagales,Asphodelaceae,Australia,Geotagged,Phormium tenax,Summer,grasses,new south wales,new zealand flax,seed heads

Uses

The blades of the plant contain cucurbitacins, which are poisonous to some animals, and some of them are among the bitterest tastes to humans.
New Zealand Flax / Harakeke (Phormium tenax) Tawharanui Reserve, New Zealand. 27 Dec 2016. Geotagged,New Zealand,Phormium tenax,Summer

Cultural

The fibre has been widely used since the arrival of Māori to New Zealand, originally in Māori traditional textiles and also in rope and sail making after the arrival of Europeans until at least WWII. It is an invasive species in some of the Pacific islands and in Australia.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionAngiosperms
ClassMonocots
OrderAsparagales
FamilyXanthorrhoeaceae
GenusPhormium
SpeciesP. tenax
Photographed in
Australia
New Zealand