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| Category: Shrub |
| Family: Dracaenaceae (~Agaveaceae) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Violet |
| Bloomtime: Summer |
| Fragrant Flowers: Yes |
| Height: 6-8 feet |
| Width: 3-4 feet |
| Exposure: Cool Sun/Light Shade |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 25-30° F |
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Cordyline stricta (Slender Palm Lily) An evergreen slender clumping shrubby plant that typically grows 6 to 8 feet tall but can reach 12 to 15 with time in optimal conditions. Its upright relatively slender stems near the tips are crowded with 12 to 18 inch long narrow (less than an inch) green leaves that lack a midrib or petiole and after dropping leave a scar that makes an interesting pattern on the stem. The early summer violet colored flowers are held in foot long panicles and followed by blackish purple fruit. It tolerates full coastal sun but looks best planted in partial shade in a well-drained soil that is irrigated occasionally. Can be damaged by temperatures much below 28°F but will usually rebound in spring. Tolerant of near seashore conditions but not in the first zone of exposure. A nice accent plant for a bright shady spot in the garden or used as a container plant, indoors or out. This Australian native plant comes from coastal lowland wet sclerophyll forests and rainforests New South Wales north to Queensland. The name Cordyline comes from the Greek word kordyle, meaning "club," a reference to the enlarged underground stems or rhizomes found on some species. The specific epithet is from the Latin word 'strictus' meaning rigid in reference to this plant's erect and upright habit. This is now a fairly uncommon plant but it was once more plentiful in the California nursery trade and in fact was reported to be in cultivation in Santa Barbara by Dr. Francesco Franceschi (Emanuele Orazio Fenzi) when he arrived in 1895. We grew this plant from the first days of the nursery in 1979 until 1990.
This information about Cordyline stricta displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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