Slender Palm Lily facts for kids
The Cordyline stricta, also known as the Slender Palm Lily or Narrow-leaved Palm Lily, is a beautiful plant from Australia. It's an evergreen plant, meaning it stays green all year round. You can find this plant growing as a shrub, sometimes reaching up to 5 meters (about 16 feet) tall! It usually grows in wet forests, especially near the coast. You can find it from Bilpin, New South Wales up north into Queensland. This plant has also started growing naturally in Victoria.
Quick facts for kids Slender Palm Lily |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Cordyline stricta at West Pennant Hills, Australia | |
| Scientific classification | |
 |
|
| Occurrence data from AVH | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Dracaena stricta Sims (basionym) |
Contents
What Does the Slender Palm Lily Look Like?
The leaves of the Slender Palm Lily are long and thin. They can be about 30 to 50 centimeters (12 to 20 inches) long. Each leaf is only about 1 to 2 centimeters (less than an inch) wide.
This plant grows beautiful mauve (light purple) flowers. These flowers grow in clusters called panicles. A panicle is a branched cluster of flowers. These flower clusters can be 20 to 40 centimeters (8 to 16 inches) long. The stem that holds the flowers is about 15 to 30 centimeters (6 to 12 inches) long.
After the flowers, the plant produces fruit. The fruit are round and can be purple or black. They are about 10 to 15 millimeters (less than an inch) across. The Slender Palm Lily is special because it's the only type of Cordyline plant in Australia that has black fruit!
Why Is the Slender Palm Lily Important?
Growing It in Your Garden
Many people like to plant the Slender Palm Lily in their gardens. It is also used in parks and commercial areas. People love its pretty leaves, flowers, and berries. Because it grows tall and narrow, it's great for creating a natural screen or hedge.
This plant is quite tough and can grow in many different places. It can handle lots of sun or even shady spots. Once it's settled in, it doesn't need a lot of water. However, it doesn't like frost very much, so it grows best in warmer areas.
A Home for Caterpillars
The Slender Palm Lily plays an important role in nature. It is a host plant for the Yellow-streaked Swift butterfly. This means that the caterpillars of the Yellow-streaked Swift butterfly eat the leaves of the Slender Palm Lily. The plant provides food and a safe home for these young caterpillars as they grow.
