Cordyline australis Mint Chocolate - Cabbage Tree

Cordyline australis 'Mint Chocolate' is a variety that stands out for its quite unusual combination of colours. Its long pointed leaves combine chocolate brown and mint green, creating a subtle and harmonious contrast. This large perennial plant resembles a small palm tree with long leaves grouped in tufts, from which immense panicles of creamy white and fragrant flowers emerge in summer and remain decorative for a long time. This architectural plant likes sandy soils and sea breezes. It should only be planted in the ground in mild coastal climates, elsewhere, it can be grown in a large pot to decorate the veranda or even the house during the winter.

The 'Mint Chocolate' Cordyline australis is a tree-like perennial plant from the Agavaceae family. The species is endemic to New Zealand. In nature, the Cordyline australis reaches a height of 20 m (65 ft 7 in) and forms a robust trunk that branches out into numerous leafy heads that can reach 1 m (3 ft 4 in) in length. The cordyline grows in very diverse habitats, such as forest edges, riverbanks, and open areas, particularly near swamps.
The variety 'Mint Chocolate' stands out for its reduced size, slow growth, and remarkably coloured foliage. The plant has a rosette-like leafy habit in its juvenile state (for several years), then it forms a small tree with a single trunk and branches adorned with leafy tufts. This variety will reach a maximum height of 2 m (6 ft 7 in) over time, with a spread of 1 m (3 ft 4 in). Its persistent leaves are long and narrow, sword-shaped, relatively rigid and pointed, measuring 40 to 90 cm in length and 3 to 7 cm in width at the base. They are chocolate brown in the centre, with a mint green margin on each side. Flowering occurs in summer on mature plants. Each branch can develop as soon as it has produced a flower stalk. The small, white, honey-scented flowers are borne on large dense panicles measuring 60 to 100 cm in length. The fruit is a white and round berry, highly appreciated by birds. On older plants, the trunk bark is grey, cork-like, and fissured, and has a spongy texture when touched.

Cordylines are plants that require very little maintenance. This 'Mint Chocolate' variety is a good plant for coastal areas, capable of growing in sandy soil and resistant to drought once sufficiently rooted. Its low hardiness means it will only grow in the mildest coastal areas. Elsewhere, it can be grown in a pot to overwinter in a frost-free veranda or a bright, slightly cool room. It will be perfect in a contemporary-style garden, with its very distinctive architectural design, or to create an exotic scene. It can be associated with Musella lasiocarpa, a sort of dwarf banana tree with exceptional yellow flowers or Livistona chinensis, a palm tree with enormous fan-shaped leaves. In cooler climates, this Cordyline can be planted in a pot to decorate a terrace during the summer maybe accompanied by a dwarf bamboo in a container, such as Shibataea kumasaca with short, wide, and beautifully green leaves, very decorative.