Plants Pacific Northwest

Phormium

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Plate 313 Plate 314

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Phormium Tenax/Colonsoi: New Zealand flax, New Zealand hemp, bush flax

Phormium tenax, the Coastal Flax, the larger and more common plant; its long strap leaves in shades of green, bronze and maroon.
Phormium cookianum, the Mountain Flax, (P. coloensoi), a smaller, more graceful plant that has just lately been gaining popularity as a garden plant.

Description: "This species is a perennial rhizomatous herb (to ca 2 m tall) native to New Zealand. The stems are short and stout. The leaves are strap-like, deep green, clump forming and fibrous. The flowers are red and orange, occurring in terminal sprays." (Csurhes and Edwards, 1998)

"Plants to 5-6 m tall. Leaves bright orange toward base, stiff, erect, at least in lower part, 100-300 cm long, 5-12 cm wide, margins entire, apex usually splitting. Inflorescences 4-5 m long, peduncles dark brown, 2-3 cm in diameter, glabrous; tepals dull red, 2.5-5 cm long. Capsules dark brown with age, erect, 3-angled, 5-10 cm long, usually falcate, abruptly constricted at apex, not twisted. Seeds elliptic, 9-10 mm long, somewhat twisted." (Wagner et al., 1999)

From both of these plants the Maori used the leaves for weaving baskets, mats, head-bands, and other items. They used the fibres of the leaves for making clothing, fishing nets, and ropes. The roots yielded the material to make medicine and nectar was obtained from the flowers as was pollen to make face powder. Even the spent flower stalks were used to make rafts to cross rivers and lakes.

On St Helena the plant was used to make sisal, but this use declined with the introduction of man-made fibre ropes later in the 20th century.

The use of the New Zealand Flax leaves in the making of baskets gives the scientific name Phormium , which translates from Greek as basket.