Phormium tenax or New Zaeland flax are evergreen perennials, making a large clump of leathery, strap-shaped leaves coming to a decided point, with tall panicles of small, tubular flowers in summer.
New Zealand flax is an excellent fiber plant, hence the association with real flax (Linum usitatissimum) that is grown in Europe. The fibers of the leaves, up to 2 m long, were used by the Maori to make clothes, bags and shoes, and later the Europeans made rope and sails. All parts of the plant were used: for medicine made from roots, face powder from flower pollen and old blooming stems roped together as rafts.
In the photo of a (quite old) prepared slide of a cross-section through a leaf, you can see the extensive fibers (red cells) If you have one of these plants in your garden you should try tearing a leaf in half cross-ways. It is almost impossible because of the fibers that run along the leaf's margin.
New Zealand flax grows wild on the rocks in coastal areas. Today, New Zealand flax is widely used as an ornamental plant in gardens. The plant blooms with spectacular, often meter-high inflorescences that are covered with yellow or red flowers. The natural pollinators of these flowers are honey suckers (birds) that feed on the nectar.
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