Palm Lily

Appearance

Formerly treated in the families Agavaceae and Laxmanniaceae, it is a woody plant growing up to 4 m tall, with leaves 30–60 cm long and 5–10-centimetre wide at the top of a woody stem. It produces 40–60-centimetre long panicles of small scented yellowish to red flowers that mature into red berries.

Distribution

It is native to tropical southeastern Asia, Papua New Guinea, Melanesia, northeastern Australia, the Indian Ocean, and parts of Polynesia. It is not native to either Hawaii or New Zealand but was introduced to both by Polynesian settlers.

Uses

The species was spread from its native range throughout Polynesia as a cultivated plant. Its starchy rhizomes, which are very sweet when the plant is mature, were eaten as food or as medicine, and its leaves were used to thatch the roofs of houses, and to wrap and store food. The plant or its roots are referred to in most Polynesian languages as "tī". Māori ranked the sweetness of the plant above the other "Cordyline" species native to New Zealand.

Leaves were also used to make items of clothing including skirts worn in dance performances. The Hawaiian hula skirt is a dense skirt with an opaque layer of at least 50 green leaves and the bottom shaved flat. The Tongan dance dress, the "sisi", is an apron of about 20 leaves, worn over a tupenu, and decorated with some yellow or red leaves.

In Vanuatu, "Cordyline" leaves, known locally by the Bislama name "nanggaria", are worn tucked into a belt in traditional dances, with different varieties having particular symbolic meanings. Cordylines are often planted outside nakamals.

In ancient Hawaiʻi the plant was thought to have great spiritual power; only kahuna and aliʻi were able to wear leaves around their necks during certain ritual activities. "Tī" leaves were also used to make lei, and to outline borders between properties it was also planted at the corners of the home to keep ghosts from entering the home or property ". To this day some Hawaiians plant "tī" near their houses to bring good luck. The leaves are also used for lava sledding. A number of leaves are lashed together and people ride down hills on them. Ancient Hawaii also believe that the leaves has a medicinal use as antiseptic and diuretic.

The roots of the "tī" plant were used as a glossy covering on surfboards in Hawaii in the early 1900s.

Ti is a popular ornamental plant, with numerous cultivars available, many of them selected for green or reddish or purple foliage.

In Hawaii, "tī" rhizomes are fermented and distilled to make okolehao, a liquor.