Cordyline australis Sunrise - Cabbage Tree

Cordyline australis 'Sunrise' is a perennial plant with a shrub-like habit, resembling a small palm tree with long, slightly arched leaves that are brown in the centre and edged with bright pink. It flowers in summer, producing large panicles of white, fragrant flowers that remain decorative for a long time. These flowers give way to blue-white fruits. This magnificent plant, with its exotic appearance, eventually forms a trunk topped with branches adorned with leafy tufts in the colours of dawn. It is best suited to coastal climates if planted in the ground, while elsewhere it can be grown in a large pot to decorate the veranda during the colder seasons.  

Cordyline australis is a tree-like perennial plant in the agave family, endemic to New Zealand. In its natural habitat, this plant can reach a height of 20 m (65 ft 7 in) and forms a robust trunk that branches out into numerous leafy heads, which can reach 1 m (3 ft 4 in) in length. The cordyline can be found in diverse habitats, such as forest edges, riverbanks, and open areas, particularly near swamps. 

The 'Sunrise' variety distinguishes itself by its smaller size, slow growth, and remarkably colourful foliage. The plant has a rosette-like leafy habit in its juvenile state (for several years), and then it forms a small tree with a single trunk and branches adorned with leafy tufts. This variety can reach a height of 2 to 3 m, with a spread of 1 m (3 ft 4 in). Its evergreen leaves are long and narrow, sword-shaped, pointed, slightly arched, and measure 40 to 90 cm in length and 3 to 7 cm in width at the base. They have numerous parallel veins and are richly coloured. The flowering occurs in summer on mature plants. Each branch can develop once it has produced a flower stem. The small white-pink, nectar-rich and delicately scented flowers are carried by large, dense panicles measuring 60 to 100 cm in length. The fruit is a round, white berry measuring 5 to 7 mm in diameter, highly appreciated by birds. On mature plants, the trunk's bark is pale to dark grey, cork-like in appearance, and fissured, with a spongy texture when touched.

Resistant to wind and salt spray, it is a good plant for coastal areas. The Cordyline 'Sunrise' can be planted in the centre of a flower bed, as an ornamental tree, as a windbreak, or as a standalone plant in a mild garden. It can withstand temperatures ranging from -5°C (23 °F) to -8°C (17.6 °F), allowing it to be cultivated in a large pot that can be moved from the terrace to the veranda in winter. When grown in pots, it is necessary to ensure proper watering and feeding. This remarkable plant, along with banana trees, proteas, cannas, bamboo, giant miscanthus, and castor oil plants, will give our gardens and terraces a truly exotic look.