New Zealand Flax — Forest Farm Peace Garden

Common Name: New Zealand Flax

Genus & Species: Phormium tenax (J.R. Forst. & G. Forst.)

Family: Asphodelaceae

Other Names: Flax Lily, Harakeke (Maori name)

Similar Species: The other species in the genus is Phormium cookianum (syn. Phormium colensoi) which is the New Zealand Mountain Flax or Wharariki. Both have similar uses.

Range and Habitat: Native to New Zealand, both species of Phormium are used widely in horticulture and landscaping, with many varieties having colourful leaves. P. cookianum is native to more mountainous regions in New Zealand, with P. tenax favouring swampier lowlands. Phormiums can occasionally be found as garden escapes, particularly in south and south-western UK.

General ID: For Phormium tenax is an evergreen perennial with tough, sword-shaped leaves that grow up to three metres long and up to 125 mm wide. They are usually darkish green but sometimes have coloured edges and central ribs. Cultivated varieties range from light green through pink to deep russet bronze. There are numerous variegated cultivars with leaves marked by contrasting stripes in shades of green, red, bronze, pink and yellow. The rigid flower stalks can be up to five metres long, projecting high above the foliage followed by clumps of curving tube-like flowers which turn bright red when mature. These produce unusually large quantities of nectar which attract all nectar feeding birds and insects in their native habitat. The seedpods that develop after pollination, each contain hundreds of seeds which are later widely dispersed by the wind.

Phormium cookianum is smaller, with leaves and flower stalks averaging no more than two metres. The flowers are small, yellow to yellow-red and banana shaped. Seedpods are curled whereas they are straight in Phormium tenax.

For food… The roasted seed is used as a coffee substitute. An edible nectar is obtained from the flowers. A long hollow grass-stalk or straw is used to suck it out of the flowers or they can be eaten whole. It can also be used as a general sweetener. An edible gum is obtained from the base of the leaves. The leaf pulp, after the fibre has been removed, can be fermented to make alcohol.

For healing… Māori have used nectar from the flowers for medicinal purposes and as a general sweetener to make other medicines more palatable.

Boiled and crushed roots were applied externally as a poultice for boils, tumours and abscesses, as well as to varicose ulcers. Juice from pounded roots was used as a disinfectant, and taken internally to relieve constipation or expel worms. The pulp of pounded leaves was applied as dressings to bullet, bayonet or other wounds.

The gum-like sap contains enzymes that give it blood clotting and antiseptic qualities to help healing processes. It is a mild anaesthetic, and Māori traditionally applied the sap to boils and various wounds, to aching teeth, to rheumatic and associated pains, ringworm and various skin irritations, and scalds and burns.

Splints were fashioned from korari (flower stalks) and leaves, and fine cords of muka (New Zealand Flax fibre) utilise the styptic properties of the gel before being used to stitch wounds. To this day it is used by the Māori as bandages and can secure broken bones in much the same way as plaster. Chemical analysis shows the antifungal, anti-inflammatory drug, musizin, and laxative anthraquinones are in common and mountain flaxes.

In culture… New Zealand Flax occupies a very significant place in Māori culture. Each village or community centre typically had a ‘pā harakeke’, or flax plantation. A very high-quality pliable fibre is obtained from the leaves. It is used in the manufacture of ropes, twine, bird snares, nets, cloaks, sandals, straps skirts and fine cloth, basket making and numerous other items such as the poi – flax balls with uses in ceremonial dances and also as bolas in warfare. Indeed, during the early Musket Wars and later New Zealand Wars, Māori used large, thickly woven flax mats to cover entrances and lookout holes in their "gunfighter's pā" fortifications. Some warriors wore coats of heavily plaited Phormium fibres which gave defence characteristics similar to a medieval gambeson, slowing musket balls to be wounding rather than deadly.

The split leaves can be used to make fibres. A strip of a leaf is an excellent emergency string substitute for tying up plants in the garden, it can be tied into a knot without breaking. The fibre can also be used for making a cream paper. The leaves are harvested in summer, they are scraped, traditionally with a mussel shell, to remove the outer skin and are then soaked in water for 2 hours prior to cooking. The fibres are cooked for 24 hours with lye and then beaten in a ball mill for 4 hours. A gum found in the leaves is used as a paper glue.

The flowers are rich in tannin. A brown dye is obtained from the flowers, it does not require a mordant. A terra-cotta dye is obtained from the seedpods. A mauve can also be obtained. The plants make excellent wind breaks.

For wildlife… As a non-native species, the benefits for wildlife of Phormiums are still being explored. A number of our invertebrate species have been observed feeding on them, and snails routinely seek them out as hiding places (a good place to look if you are on slug-patrol!). As an evergreen, they also provide overwintering space for invertebrates near the base of the leaves.

The flowers provide nectar for birds in its native habitat and some UK species seem to be following this lead, with notable examples of starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) and blackbirds (Turdus merula) visiting the flowers when they are full of nectar.

At FFPG… Phormium cookianum can be found in the ethnobed at the end nearest to the pond.

Disclaimer:

This is intended for information only. FFPG, its staff, trustees and volunteers do not make any claim as to the safety or efficacy of plants listed for medicinal purposes and do not encourage the consumption or use of any of the plants listed herein. Anybody wishing to use plants for medicinal effect is advised to consult their medical professional.