Phornium daniela tesmanica variegata.

Phormium tenax purpureum or New Zealand flax is an ornamental and very decorative perennial herbaceous plant thanks to its curved foliage.

It has elongated leaves that resemble a sword. They can reach 3 meters high and even more in their places of origin.

The range of colors in its leaves can be very diverse, since the color goes from the green, to the bronze, even to the brown chocolate, offering some extremely beautiful tonalities.

It is a plant widely used in the textile sector, since its leaves are extracted from fibers to be used as a braid in the preparation of baskets, etc. Hence the common name of New Zealand Linen.

As an ornamental plant is often used for the creation of gardens with other plants such as yuccas or ficus.

This plant is very easy to cultivate both in soil and in pots, that if they require a very good drainage.

Its base must have some moisture but never in excess, because they are plants that tolerate well a certain shortage of water.

It grows in almost any type of soil, no matter how poor it is, and it likes full sun or semi shade, but not in shady areas.

At the time of transferring of a flowerpot to other one it must do to the following number of size in order that the plant goes adapting and does not suffer.

They are perfect for any type of garden. They can be planted near the coast and bear quite well the cold of average intensity as well as the strong winds.

The flowering season is summer, producing candelabra-like flower clusters that stand out from their foliage.

The flowers are red or orange giving way later to an elongated fruit where its seeds are located, these clusters have to be cut once the flowering process is over to avoid rotting in the center of the plant.

As the leaves dry out, they must be removed from the base to avoid affecting the whole plant.

This plant can be multiplied by division of the bush, by rhizomes in autumn or before the spring, being planted in a pot with substrate.

It can also be reproduced by seeds, although in that case the process will cost us more, since it requires a constant temperature of between 21 and 22ºC.

It is not in the habit of being prone to the plagues but it is necessary to take care with the irrigations to avoid the podedumbre.