Ti Kouka or Cabbage Tree give a very distinctive character to the New Zealand landscape and are especially attractive when massed with large terminal panicles of strongly sweet-scented flowers.
Cordyline australis is found throughout the country, from sea level to 600 m. The tree reaches a height of 20 m.
The Cabbage Tree is a monocotyledon where the seedling plants have one seed leaf and the leaves have longitudinal veins. The trunk and stems are pithy/fibrous and similar to other related plants in the Agave family, for example the Century Plant.