Japanese name: コルディリネ ストリクタ Scientific name:Cordyline stricta
[Overview]
An evergreen shrub growing to about 5 m tall.
It has a fleshy rhizome.
The leaves grow densely clustered at the stem tips and are lanceolate, 30–50 cm long and 1–2 cm wide.
Panicles 20–40 cm long emerge from the leaf axils, densely bearing many small flowers with 6 petals.
There are 3 bracts at the base of the flower.
The ovary is divided into 3 chambers, each with 6–15 ovules.
The fruit is a berry 1–1.5 cm across, ripening to blackish purple.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings, layering or root cuttings.
Types with strong cold hardiness can be grown outdoors in Kanto and areas to the south.
It prefers a well-drained, fertile soil.
Varieties with variegated leaves color poorly in poor sunlight and may suffer leaf scorch in direct summer sun, so it is good to place them in a sunny spot from autumn to spring and in partial shade in summer.
During the growing season from spring to autumn, do not let it run short of water or fertilizer.
From spring to autumn, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; in winter, keep it on the dry side.
The leaf edges may wither when humidity is insufficient, so mist the leaves all year round.
From spring to autumn, apply slow-release fertilizer once a month, or liquid fertilizer once a week.
Pests and diseases include soft rot, damping-off, scale insects, aphids and spider mites.
