Cordyline fruticosa

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"Ti plant" redirects here. Not to be confused with
tea plant
.

Cordyline fruticosa
Foliage and fruit
Green C. fruticosa in Makawao Forest Reserve, Maui
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Lomandroideae
Genus: Cordyline
Species:
C. fruticosa
Binomial name
Cordyline fruticosa
(
A.Chev.
Synonyms[1]

Convallaria
fruticosa L.
Asparagus terminalis L.
Cordyline terminalis Kunth
Dracaena terminalis Lam.
Dracaena formosa W.Bull Terminalis fruticosa (L.) Kuntze

Cordyline fruticosa is an

Island Southeast Asia. It is also cultivated for food, traditional medicine, and as an ornamental for its variously colored leaves. It is identified by a wide variety of common names
, including ti plant, palm lily, cabbage palm.

Description

It is a palm-like plant growing up to 4.5 metres (15 feet) tall

leaves at the tip of the slender trunk. The leaves range from red to green[2] and variegated forms. It is a woody plant with leaves 30–60 centimetres (12–24 inches) (rarely 75 cm or 30 in) long and 5–10 cm (2–4 in) wide at the top of a woody stem. It produces 40–60 cm (16–24 in) long panicles of small scented yellowish to red flowers that mature into red berries
.

  • Specimens in Maui
    Specimens in Maui
  • Green specimen
    Green specimen
  • Purple specimen
    Purple specimen
  • Red specimen in Buton Island
    Red specimen in
    Buton Island
  • Variegated specimen
    Variegated specimen
  • Specimen with fruit
    Specimen with fruit
  • Blossom, Gulf Coast of Texas
    Blossom,
    Gulf Coast of Texas
  • Inflorescence
    Inflorescence
  • Berries
    Berries

Taxonomy

Cordyline fruticosa was formerly listed as part of the families Agavaceae and Laxmanniaceae (now both subfamilies of the Asparagaceae in the APG III system).

Names

The reconstructed

Wuvulu si or ti; Tongan sī; Samoan, Tahitian, and Māori tī; and Hawaiian kī. The names in some languages have also been applied to the botanically unrelated garden crotons (Codiaeum variegatum), which similarly have red or yellow leaves. The cognates of Proto-Western-Malayo-Polynesian *sabaqaŋ, similarly, have been applied to both garden crotons and ti plants.[3][4]

In the

Visayan and Bikol kilála or kilaa, though in Central Visayas, this plant is called ti-as.[3] In New Zealand, the terms for ti were also transferred to the native and closely related cabbage tree (Cordyline australis), as tī kōuka.[3]

Distribution and history

Pitcairn stamp

Its original native distribution is unknown, but it is believed to be native to the region from

Island Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Northern Australia. It has the highest morphological diversity in New Guinea and is believed to have been extensively cultivated there.[5][6]

It was carried throughout Oceania by Austronesians, reaching as far as

artificial selection, probably because they produce larger and less fibrous rhizomes more suitable for use as food.[5][7][8]

It was introduced to Europe as a houseplant in 1771.[9]

Uses

Socio-cultural and spiritual uses

It has many uses but it is most notable as one of the most important plants related to the indigenous socio-cultural practices of the Pacific and Island Southeast-Asia. In particular, it was propagated throughout the Austronesian linguistic area by humans, not so much for its food value (although some forms are edible) but mainly for socio-cultural reasons.[7] It is widely regarded as having mystical and spiritual importance in various cultures. It is common planted on grave sites, used in magical and ritual practices, including for healing.[10] It is also used as a decorative attire and ornamentation, and as a boundary markers. It is common for the red and green cultivars to be used differently in rituals. Red ti plants commonly symbolize blood, war, and the ties between the living and the dead; while green ti plants commonly symbolize peace and healing.[11][12][13] Their ritual uses in Island Southeast Asia have largely been obscured by the introduction of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity, but they still persist in certain areas or are co-opted for the rituals of the new religions.[11]

In

Palaw'an people, it is planted in burial grounds to prevent the dead from becoming malevolent spirits.[18]
In
Toraja people, red ti plants are used in rituals and as decorations of ritual objects. They are believed to occur in both the material and the spirit worlds (a common belief in Austronesian animism). In the spirit world, they exist as fins and tails of spirits. In the material world, they are most useful as guides used to attract the attentions of spirits. The red leaves are also symbolic of blood and thus of life and vitality.[26][27][28] Among the Ngaju people, ti plants were symbolic of the sacred groves of ancestors. They were also important in ritual promises dedicated to high gods. They were regarded as symbolic of the masculine "Tree of Life", in a dichotomy against Ficus species which symbolize the feminine "Tree of the Dead".[11]

In

Kapauku people, ti plants are regarded as magical plants and are believed to be spiritual beings themselves. Unlike other magical plants which are controlled by other spirits, ti plants had their own spirits and are powerful enough to command other spiritual beings. Red plants are used in white magic rituals, while green plants are used in black magic rituals. They are also commonly used in protection and warding rituals. Among the Baktaman people, red plants are used for initiation rites, while green plants are used for healing. The Ok-speaking peoples also regard ti plants as their collective totem.[11]

In Island Melanesia, ti are regarded as sacred by various Austronesian-speaking peoples and are used in rituals for protection, divination, and fertility.[11] Among the Kwaio people, red ti are associated with feuding and vengeance, while green ti are associated with ancestor spirits, markers of sacred groves, and wards against evil. The Kwaio cultivate these varieties around their communities.[36] Among the Maenge people of New Britain, ti leaves are worn as everyday skirts by women. The color and size of leaves can vary by personal preference and fashion. New cultivars with different colors are traded regularly and strands of ti are grown near the village. Red leaves can only worn by women past puberty. Ti is also the most important plant in magic and healing rituals of the Maenge. Some ti cultivars are associated with supernatural spirits and have names and folklore around them.[37] In Vanuatu, Cordyline leaves, known locally by the Bislama name nanggaria, are worn tucked into a belt in traditional dances like Māʻuluʻulu, with different varieties having particular symbolic meanings. Cordylines are often planted outside nakamal buildings.[38] In Fiji, red ti leaves are used as skirts for dancers and are used in rituals dedicated to the spirits of the dead. They are also planted around ceremonial buildings used for initiation rituals.[11]

In Micronesia, ti leaves are buried under newly built houses in Pohnpei to ward of malign sorcery.[29] In instances of an unknown death, shamans in Micronesia communicate with the dead spirit through ti plants, naming various causes of death until the plant trembles.[7] There is also archaeological evidence that the rhizomes of the plants were eaten in the past in Guam prior to the Latte Period.[39]

In Polynesia, green ti were cultivated widely for food and religious purposes. They are commonly planted around homes, in sacred places (including marae and heiau), and in grave sites. The leaves are also carried as a charm when traveling and the leaves are used in rituals that communicate with the species. Like in Southeast Asia, they are widely believed to protect against evil spirits and bad luck; as well as having the ability to host spirits of dead people, as well as nature spirits.[5][7][40]

In

lei, and to outline borders between properties it was also planted at the corners of the home to keep evil spirits away. To this day some Hawaiians plant tī near their houses to bring good luck. The leaves are also used for lava sledding. A number of leaves are lashed together and people ride down hills on them. The leaves were also used to make items of clothing including skirts worn in dance performances. The Hawaiian hula skirt is a dense skirt with an opaque layer of at least fifty green leaves and the bottom (top of the leaves) shaved flat. The Tongan dance dress, the sisi, is an apron of about 20 leaves, worn over a tupenu, and decorated with some yellow or red leaves.[41][42][43]

In Aotearoa, certain place names are derived from the use and folklore of ti, like Puketī Forest and Temuka. The ti plants in Kaingaroa are known as nga tī whakāwe o Kaingaroa ("the phantom trees of Kaingaroa"), based on the legend of two women who were turned into ti plants and seemingly follow people traveling through the area.[40]

Other uses

Ti tree as wedding decorations in Cirebon, Javanese culture

The roots and young leaves can be cooked and eaten as survival food. The leaves can make a rain cloak.

Austronesia and New Guinea.[10]

Cordyline fruticosa flowers are a traditional treatment for asthma, and their anthocyanin content has been assessed to see if they might be commercial herbal remedy.[44]

In the Philippines, the roots were used to flavor the traditional

Lumad people of Mindanao.[45]

In Polynesia, the leaves of the green-leafed form are used to wrap food, line

firewalking ritual.[11]

Ti is a popular ornamental plant, with numerous cultivars available, many of them selected for green or reddish or purple foliage.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Cordyline fruticosa". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
  2. ^
    OCLC 277203364.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link
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  4. ^ "*Tï". Te Mära Reo: The Language Garden. Benton Family Trust. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  5. ^
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  6. ^ Philip, Simpson (9 September 2012). "Cordyline fruticosa (ti plant)". Invasive Species Compendium. Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d Hinkle, Anya E. (2004). "The distribution of a male sterile form of ti (Cordyline fruticosa) in Polynesia: a case of human selection?" (PDF). The Journal of the Polynesian Society. 113 (3): 263–290. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-07-05. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
  8. ^ Trisha, Borland (2009). "Cordyline fruticosa: the distribution and continuity of a sacred plant" (PDF). UCB Moorea Class: Biology and Geomorphology of Tropical Islands. Student Research Papers, Fall 2009. University of California.
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  11. ^ a b c d e f g h Ehrlich, Celia (2000). "'Inedible' to 'edible': Firewalking and the ti plant [Cordyline fruticosa (L.) A. Chev.]". The Journal of the Polynesian Society. 109 (4): 371–400. Archived from the original on 2019-12-01. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  12. ^ Ehrlich, Celia (1989). "Special problems in an ethnobotanical literature search: Cordyline terminalis (L.) Kunth, the "Hawaiian ti plant"" (PDF). Journal of Ethnobiology. 9 (1): 51–63.
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  14. ^ van Schooneveld, Inge (18 July 2018). "Punnuk rice harvest ritual celebrates the Earth's abundance". Sinchi. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  15. ^ de Guzman, Daniel (6 July 2018). "Flora De Filipinas: A Short Overview of Philippine Plant Lore". The Aswang Project. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  16. ^ Harvest Rituals in Hapao (PDF). Social Practices, Rituals and Festive Events. International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO (ICHCAP). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-09-09. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
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  18. ^ Novellino, Dario (2001). "Palawan Attitudes Toward Illness" (PDF). Philippine Studies. 49 (1): 78–93.
  19. ^ Gunawan (2013). "Study Ethnobotany Andong Plants of the Genus Cordyline in the Dayaknese of Meratus Lok Lahung Village, Loksado, South Borneo". 4th International Conference on Global Resource Conservation & 10th Indonesian Society for Plant Taxonomy Congress. Brawijaya University. Archived from the original on 2020-01-26. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  20. ^ a b Rahayu, Mulyati; Rustiami, Himmah; Rugayah (2016). "Ethnobotanical Study of Sasak Ethnic, East Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara" (PDF). Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation: 85–99.
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  22. ^ Hakim, Nurul (2006). Cultural and Spiritual Values of Forests in Bady Region, Banten, Indonesia. MSc Forest and Nature Conservation Policy. Wageningen University.
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  25. ^ Sumantera, I. Wayan (1999). "Plants Intertwined with Culture". Roots. 1 (19). Archived from the original on 2019-01-19. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
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  34. ^ Hill, Rowena Catherine (2011). Colour and Ceremony: the role of paints among the Mendi and Sulka peoples of Papua New Guinea (MSc). Durham University.
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  41. ^ Kawate, M.; Uchida, J.; Coughlin, J.; Melzer, M.; Kadooka, C.; Kam, J.; Sugano, J.; Fukuda, S. (2014). "Ti Leaf (Cordyline terminalis or fruticosa) Diseases in Hawaii's Commercial Orchards" (PDF). HānaiʻAi/The Food Provider: 1–11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-12-10. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  42. ^ Gamayo, Darde (4 August 2016). "Ti Leaf: Canoe Plant of Ancient Hawai'i". Big Island Now. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  43. ^ Da Silva, Alexandre (24 July 2005). "Thrill ride". Star Bulletin. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
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  45. ^ Garvan, John M. (1912). "Report on the drinks and drinking among the Mandaya, Manobo, and Mangguangan Tribes". The Philippine Journal of Science: Section A. 7: 106–114.
  46. Eater
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  47. ^ Griffith, Robert Eglesfeld (1847). Medical Botany. Lea and Blanchard. p. 655.

External links

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