Cordyline Australis Purpurea

"New Zealand Tie-Palm". A long lived 'palm' producing a slowly thickening trunk, carrying at the top a rosette of long, purple, strap-shaped leaves. This tree is in the same family, and similar to a "Dragon Tree" or dracaena, but is much hardier in winter, and easier and faster to grow. Older plants grow enormous panicles of deeply scented white flowers in early summer, the perfume can be overpowering on warm nights, and these later produce white berries in autumn and winter. Severe winters can kill the leaves but this invariably results in the trunk sprouting several heads. Seeds are only infrequently produced but come almost 100% true.