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Feb 13, 2017 · In 1769, a great navigator named Captain James Cook and a great botanist named Joseph Banks arrived in New Zealand and noticed the native Maori people wearing a fine cloth similar to linen made from Phormium. Linen is constructed from flax, so this plant became known as New Zealand flax. Phormium, however, is low yielding plus the fiber is more ...
New Zealand. P. tenax, New Zealand flax, clump-forming perennial with rigid, upright, linear leaves, to 10 feet (3m) long, dark green above, blue-green beneath. Thick, red-purple panicles, to 12 feet (4m) long, of tubular, dull red flowers, 2 inches (5cm) long, are borne in summer. To 12 feet (4m) tall and 6 feet (2m) wide. New Zealand.
Mar 11, 2021 · Phormium ‘Maori Queen’ has bronze-green leaves, brightly edged with red and a hint of cream. Sometimes sold as ‘Rainbow Queen’. H x S: 1m x 1.2m; Phormium ‘Platt’s Black’ has dark purple, almost black foliage and a very compact habit. H x S: 60cm x 90cm; Phormium ‘Tricolor’ has light green leaves boldly edged with cream and ...
- BBC Gardeners' World Magazine
Adding a bright note to the garden year-round, Phormium tenax 'Yellow Wave' (New Zealand Flax) is a very ornamental and robust evergreen perennial featuring a basal rosette of arching, strap-shaped leaves up to 40 in. in length (100 cm), heavily striped with cream, butter-yellow and lime-green. The architectural, cascading foliage is topped in summer with a dramatic flowering stalk bearing ...
Story: Flax and flax working. In the late 1700s Māori showed European visitors how New Zealand flax could be prepared to make rope and other useful items. This led to a booming trade in flax fibre, and a local flax-stripping industry. Today, research is finding new uses for flax – from face-creams and animal feed to flower arrangements.
Winter Hardiness: 15-20° F. Phormium 'Maori Queen' (New Zealand Flax) - New Zealand Flax cultivar that grows upright to 5 feet tall with 2" wide olive-green leaves edged rose-red. Edges fade to a cream color later in season. Plant in full sun to light shade. Can tolerate fairly dry conditions (coastal) but looks best with occasional to regular ...
New Zealand flax. New Zealand flax is one of the country’s most distinctive native plants. It has sword-shaped leaves 1–3 metres long that grow in a fan shape. In spring, birds – particularly tūī – flock to feed on the nectar of its tube-like flowers, which bloom on stems up to 4.5 metres long. By carrying pollen from plant to plant ...
