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Cordyline pumilio

Stemless Cabbage Tree · Dwarf Cabbage Tree

Family AsparagaceaeGenus Cordyline

A dense tuft of narrow arching grass-like leaves, the older ones dying back pale, on bare ground
The whole plantKahuroaPublic domain

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

Habit
shrubPlants of the World Online
Flower
White, bluish-whiteWikipedia
Native range
New Zealand NorthGBIF Backbone Taxonomy

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Wikipedia — Wikipedia contributors; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • The dwarf cabbage tree, tī rauriki in Māori, is endemic to the northern North Island. With its long leaves, it is easily mistaken for a grass or a sedge. Wikipedia: Cordyline pumilio

This source reports two treatments. Both are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1998

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 9, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on March 8, 2026.

  1. Dry storage

    Duration: 365 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

about 12 months from start to sowing. Then 28 days to germinate.

50% germination in 28 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1998 · 2nd Supplement, Cordyline p. 26Public domain
Show the original text
Cordyline (Liliaceae). C. pumilio seeds DS 1 y germ. 70L(2/4 in 4th w) and none in 70D or 40-70D. The sample was small and there were many empty seed coats so that the results need confirmation.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement, 2nd Supplement, Cordyline p. 26. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1998

  1. Dry storage

    Duration: 365 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

about 12 months from start to sowing.

0% germination.

Nothing germinated at 70.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1998 · 2nd Supplement, Cordyline p. 26Public domain
Show the original text
Cordyline (Liliaceae). C. pumilio seeds DS 1 y germ. 70L(2/4 in 4th w) and none in 70D or 40-70D. The sample was small and there were many empty seed coats so that the results need confirmation.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement, 2nd Supplement, Cordyline p. 26. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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