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Astelia chathamica
Also called Silver Spear
Astelia chathamica is an evergreen, silver-green perennial from the Chatham Islands of New Zealand that forms a large clump of sword-shaped leaves up to about 1.2 m tall. Grow it in partial shade in fertile, well-drained soil and give it some winter protection in cold areas.
Astelia chathamica, commonly known as the Chatham Islands kakaha, Moriori flax, or silver spear, is a species of flowering plant in the recently named family Asteliaceae. It is an evergreen silver-green perennial from the Chatham Islands of New Zealand, growing to about 1.2 m (4 ft) tall. Forming a large clump of sword-shaped leaves, it produces small green flowers and red berries (the latter only on the female plant). It grows best in partial shade and in fertile and well-drained soil with moderate water. The plant is hardy down to −3 °C (27 °F), but the foliage may be damaged by frost, so in colder areas the plant may require some winter protection.
In cultivation in the UK, this plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Astelia chathamica by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
