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Phormium tenax

Authority Forster & Forster f. Family Liliopsida:Liliidae:Asparagales:Phormiaceae Synonyms Common names Editor Ecocrop code 8530

Notes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION A herb with a short, fleshy, creeping, branched rootstock which put up collections of tough, sword-shaped leaves growing rather in the form of a fan. The plant may reach a height of 2-5 m. USES Grown as a fiber crop. The leaves contain 10-14% fiber that are used for twines, ropes, matting, woolpacks, and padding. GROWING PERIOD Perennial. First harvest may be made when the plants are 5-6 years old with subsequent harvests every 4-6 years. COMMON NAMES New Zealand flax, New Zealand hemp. FURTHER INF New Zealand flax is native of New Zealand and the Norfolk Island. It is not suited to hot tropical lowlands. In the subtropics, it is grown at elevations between sea level and 1300 m. It occur on almost any kind of soils but best result is obtained on wel drained alluvial soil in the vicinity of swamps or rivers. A good yield is 75 t/ha of green leafs at each harvest, 9 tons of green leaf produce 1 ton of fibre.
Sources
SOURCES (P. tenax Forst.) Purseglove J 1972 pp 31-33 [TEMP, RAIN, TEXT, FER, DRA, USE] Roecklein J 1987 pp 125 [USE] Duke J 1975 pp 24 [PH, RAIN, TEMP] Kirby R 1963 pp 284-296 [TEMP, KTMP, RAIN, TEXT, FER, DRA, LIG, USE]