Phormium tenax Atropurpureum seeds - New Zealand flax

Phormium tenax ‘Atropurpureum’, or purple New Zealand flax, is distinguished by its bronze-purple, thick and strap-shaped leaves, which hold their shape all winter. More colourful and often slightly more compact than the species, it brings an exotic accent to borders, the edges of a terrace, or a large container. In good conditions, it can also produce tall spikes of bronze-red, nectar-rich flowers, highly decorative in a mild-climate garden.

Phormium tenax ‘Atropurpureum’ belongs to the Asphodelaceae family. It is an old horticultural selection with purple foliage, originating from a sport of Phormium tenax ‘Purpureum’. New Zealand nurseries have been growing it for many decades.
This evergreen perennial forms a dense clump from fleshy rhizomes. The sword-shaped leaves are thick, fibrous, slightly sharp on the edges, 1.20m to 2m long and 5 to 8cm wide. They begin olive green tinged with red, then become distinctly bronze-purple to violet. Planted in open ground in good soil, the clump commonly reaches 1.80m tall and 1.60m wide; in a pot, it will be somewhat more modest. The plant will flower in summer in regions with mild climates. The rigid flower stalks can rise to 3m above the foliage. They bear panicles of tubular, brown-red to coppery, nectar-rich flowers, much loved by pollinators. The flowers are followed by upright, elongated, three-angled capsules containing numerous flat black seeds, easy to harvest.

Phormium tenax ‘Atropurpureum’ creates a seaside atmosphere or an exotic setting in the garden or on the terrace. In mild climates, plant it as a specimen near an entrance, in the centre of a grass border, or in a row along a path. Further north, it will do wonderfully in a large container, to be brought in frost-free over winter. Its purple foliage pairs well with more compact phormiums such as ‘Bronze Baby’, with the changing plumes of Panicum virgatum ‘Prairie Sky’, the royal blue umbels of Agapanthus ‘Northern Star’, or the slender silhouette of Cordyline australis ‘Red Star’. Together, these plants create architectural scenes, decorative for a large part of the year.

Phormium tenax is a major textile plant in New Zealand: known as harakeke, its leaves have provided a strong fibre for cordage, mats and clothing for centuries, still used and valued in contemporary Māori craftsmanship.