Common name: narrow-leaved palm lily
Cordyline stricta (Sims) Endl. APNI*
Description: Shrub to 5 m high, sometimes sprawling and branched towards base.
Leaves linear, 30–50 cm long, 1–2 cm wide, not or scarcely narrowed towards base, margins smooth or breaking up irregularly with age towards base, lamina more or less flat; petiole not distinct from lamina.
Panicles 20–40 cm long; scape 15–30 cm long; pedicels 1.5–2.5 mm long. Perianth glabrous, bluish; tepals unequal, outer tepals 4–8 mm long, inner ones 8–9.5 mm long.
Fruit 10–15 mm diam., purple to black.
Distribution and occurrence: On coastal lowlands and ranges north from near Bilpin (lower Blue Mtns). In rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, NT
Other Australian states: Qld
Only Australian species with black fruit (apart from an unnamed taxon at high altitude in NE NSW: C. sp. Mt Banda Banda (P.Hind 2232)). Often confused with C. congesta. (fide L. Pedley (1986) Flora of Australia vol. 46: 82), with which it may hybridise, or there may be a third taxon (with purplish to black fruits, scabrous lamina margins, narrow leaves with flat petiolar region).
Text by G. J. Harden (1993); edited KL Wilson (Feb 2013) Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data ***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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