Identity & taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Cordyline fruticosa (L.) A.Chev.
- Family
- Asparagaceae
- Genus
- Cordyline
- Order
- Asparagales
- IUCN status
- Least Concern (LC)
- Wikidata
- Q156258
- Cordyline terminalis (L.) Kunth
- Dracaena terminalis L.
- Convallaria fruticosa L.
- Hawaiian ti planten
- Ti planten
- Good luck planten
- Cabbage palmen
- Kī (Hawaiian)en
- Tiplantasv
- Tiplanteno
- Tiplanteda
- Tipalmufi
- Hawaii-Keulenliliede
Tropical Southeast Asia · New Guinea · Northern Australia · Polynesia (introduced by Polynesian voyagers)
How to identify it
Growth habit. Erect woody shrub with one or several thin upright canes that elongate slowly, dropping older leaves and leaving a ringed scar pattern on the bare lower stem. Leaves cluster at the apex in a loose terminal rosette. The plant resembles a small palm or dracaena in silhouette but is in fact closer to asparagus — Asparagaceae family. Growth is moderate; expect 15–30 cm of height per year indoors. Mature plants in tropical gardens produce panicles of small white-pink flowers followed by red berries; flowering indoors is unusual.
Leaves. Strap-shaped or oblong-elliptic leaves 30–60 cm long and 5–10 cm wide on short petioles, clustered at the cane apex. Colour varies dramatically by cultivar: bright magenta-red in 'Red Sister', pink-cream-green tricolour in 'Exotica', almost black-purple in 'Black Mystique', and softer cream-pink in 'Kiwi'. Texture is leathery and slightly glossy. Leaves emerge at the apex and age progressively as the cane grows, with the brightest colours on the newest leaves at the very top.
- Upright woody cane with leaves clustered at the apex.
- Old leaf scars create a ringed pattern on the bare lower stem.
- Leaves vividly coloured pink, red, magenta, or cream — never plain green.
- Leaves leathery and slightly glossy, 30–60 cm long.
- Resembles a 'palm' or dracaena but in Asparagaceae.
Commonly confused with
Dragon tree
Thinner narrower leaves (1–2 cm wide vs 5–10 cm in Cordyline) and a thicker more sculptural stem. Dragon tree leaves are uniformly green or red-edged, never pink-cream-green tricolour. Drought-tolerant; Cordyline is not.
Corn plant
Wider greener leaves with a yellow midstripe in 'Massangeana'. Far more drought-tolerant and lower-light tolerant than Cordyline. No magenta or pink coloration.
Cabbage palm
A different species: cold-hardy New Zealand native with thinner narrower greener leaves and a much thicker trunk. Often grown outdoors in mild Atlantic climates. Confusingly shares the common name 'cabbage palm' with C. fruticosa in some regions.
Yucca cane
Stiffer pointed sword-like leaves on a much thicker swollen trunk base. Yucca leaves are uniformly green and the silhouette is more dramatic and architectural; Cordyline is softer with broader colourful leaves.
Care
Light
Bright indirect light; tolerates morning direct sun.
Brightness is what keeps the colours saturated. An east window or 1.5 m back from a south or west window is ideal. The pink-cream cultivars need MORE light than plain green Cordyline relatives — colour saturation depends on light intensity. Direct unfiltered noon sun in summer can scorch the thinner-leaved cultivars; morning sun is fine. Below 5,000 lux, new leaves emerge progressively greener as the plant produces less anthocyanin pigment.
Seasonal: Nordic latitudes above 55°N: cordyline colour fades noticeably during dim winters. Move to the brightest available window from October–March; expect new spring growth to be paler than midsummer growth even with optimal placement.
Water
Top 2–3 cm dry — every 5–7 days; rainwater preferred.
Cordyline fruticosa is fluoride- and chlorine-sensitive. Tap water in fluoridated regions causes brown leaf tips and edges within weeks. Use rainwater, distilled water, or filtered water. Water thoroughly until runoff, then let only the top 2–3 cm dry before watering again. The plant prefers consistent moisture — letting it dry out fully causes leaf drop.
Seasonal: Reduce frequency by about a third in winter when growth slows.
Soil
Light, peat-free, moisture-retentive mix with good drainage.
Two parts peat-free houseplant mix, one part fine bark, one part perlite. Cordyline prefers slightly acidic conditions and resents very alkaline soils — use rainwater or filtered water if your tap is hard.
Humidity
50–70 %; tolerates 40 % with leaf-tip browning.
Like Goeppertia, Cordyline fruticosa shows leaf-tip browning when humidity drops below 50 %, especially the thinner-leaved cultivars. A humidifier nearby through heating season is the most reliable fix; pebble trays and grouped plants help marginally. Misting offers very brief relief at best.
Temperature
18–27 °C; damage below 13 °C.
A warm-room plant. Cold draughts from windows or unheated hallways in winter cause sudden leaf drop. Below 13 °C the plant rapidly declines; below 5 °C tissue damage is severe. Avoid placement near doors that open to outside in winter.
Fertilizer
Half-strength balanced feed monthly in growing season.
Half-strength balanced NPK monthly April–September. Cordyline appreciates feeding more than many tropical houseplants but resents over-fertilising — symptoms are crisped leaf tips and salt build-up at the soil surface. Flush soil with rainwater every 3 months to prevent salt accumulation. Skip feeding October–March.
Pruning
Cut leggy canes back hard; new shoots emerge from the cut.
If the cane becomes leggy or topples, cut it back hard — even down to 15–20 cm above the soil. New shoots emerge from dormant buds along the cut cane within 4–8 weeks. The cane sections you remove can be used as 'log cuttings' (see propagation). Wear gloves when handling cut sap; some people experience mild contact irritation.
Repotting
Every 2 years in spring.
Move up by one pot size in spring. Cordyline is moderately fast-growing and benefits from periodic repotting. Use fresh moisture-retentive mix and water in well; expect a brief sulk lasting 2–3 weeks while roots re-establish.
Stem-tip cuttings
easy~4–6 weeks in water or perliteCut a 10–15 cm stem tip with several leaves, strip the lowest leaves, and root in water or moist perlite at 22–25 °C. Roots emerge within 4–6 weeks. Pot into standard mix once roots are 3–5 cm long.
Log cuttings (canes)
easy~6–10 weeks; multiple shoots per logCut a healthy bare cane into 5–10 cm sections, each with at least one node. Lay sections horizontally on moist potting mix, half-buried, and keep at 22–25 °C with high humidity. Each node produces a new shoot within 6–10 weeks. The most productive propagation method — a single tall cane can yield 5–8 new plants.
Air-layering
moderate~2–3 monthsWound a healthy cane below a leaf cluster, wrap with damp sphagnum and plastic, and wait for roots to form before cutting and potting. Useful for propagating large specimens without sacrificing the parent plant.
Cultivars
'Red Sister'
Deep magenta-red leaves with darker bronze-purple older foliage. The most common pink-purple cultivar in cultivation.
'Kiwi'
Green leaves with cream stripes and pink margins. A softer-coloured cultivar popular as a houseplant.
'Exotica' / 'Tricolor'
Pink, cream, and green longitudinal striping; a classic three-tone variety.
'Black Mystique'
Almost black-purple leaves with a smoky bronze sheen — the darkest commonly available form.
Common problems
Brown leaf tips and margins
Symptom
Brown crispy edges and tips on otherwise healthy leaves.
Cause
Most often fluoride or chlorine in tap water; less often low humidity or salt build-up from over-fertilising.
Fix
Switch to rainwater, distilled water, or filtered water. Flush soil with 3× pot volume of rainwater. Run a humidifier aiming for 60 %+. Trim brown tips with sharp scissors following the natural leaf shape; new leaves emerge clean within 4–6 weeks once water source improves.
New leaves emerging plain green or pale
Symptom
Older leaves vivid pink/red but new growth at the apex is washed out and greenish.
Cause
Light too low — anthocyanin and carotenoid pigment production depends on bright light.
Fix
Move to the brightest available indirect spot, ideally with 1–2 hours of morning direct sun. New leaves emerge with full colour within 6–10 weeks; existing pale leaves do not re-pigment.
Lower leaves yellowing and dropping rapidly
Symptom
Multiple lower leaves go yellow within days; plant looks bare.
Cause
Either cold draught (below 13 °C), severe over- or underwatering, or transplant shock.
Fix
Check temperature — keep above 18 °C and away from cold windows. Check soil moisture: water if bone-dry, hold off if soggy. Recovery takes 2–3 months and produces new growth from the cane apex.
Cane bare at the top — all leaves at the very tip
Symptom
The cane is bare for most of its length with leaves only in a tight cluster at the apex.
Cause
Normal Cordyline growth pattern combined with old leaf shedding. The plant looks 'palm-like' with age.
Fix
If the cane has become unappealingly leggy, cut it back hard to 15–20 cm above the soil. The cut cane re-shoots and you can use the removed section as log cuttings to propagate fresh plants.
Spider mite stippling on leaf undersides
Symptom
Tiny pale stippling on upper surface; fine webbing under leaves.
Cause
Spider mites flourish in dry indoor air during heating season.
Fix
Shower under tepid water, then treat weekly with neem oil or insecticidal soap for 4 weeks. Raise humidity to 60 %+; spider mites struggle in humid conditions.
- Spider mites in dry winter air
- Mealybugs at leaf bases
- Scale on lower stems
- Root rot from overwatering
- Leaf-spot fungal infection in stagnant humid air
Toxicity & safety
No toxicity reported in humans; tubers and young leaves are eaten as food in Polynesian and Southeast Asian cuisine.
Cordyline fruticosa — Plants For A FutureASPCA classifies ti plant (Cordyline fruticosa) as toxic to cats. Symptoms include vomiting (occasionally with blood), depression, anorexia, hypersalivation, and dilated pupils. Mechanism is saponin content. Vet attention is recommended for any ingestion.
Mechanism: Saponins
Ti Plant (Cordyline fruticosa) — ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic PlantsASPCA classifies ti plant as toxic to dogs. Symptoms identical to cats: vomiting, depression, anorexia, hypersalivation. Saponin-based mechanism. Vet attention recommended for ingestion.
Mechanism: Saponins
Ti Plant (Cordyline fruticosa) — ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic PlantsWhy your ti plant's colour fades indoors
The single most common Cordyline complaint is 'my plant arrived bright pink and red, and now new leaves are coming in plain green'. This is not a disease, a watering issue, or a sign the plant is dying — it is a direct, predictable response to light intensity.
Cordyline fruticosa cultivars produce vivid pink, red, magenta, and bronze colours through three pigments: anthocyanins (purples and pinks), carotenoids (yellows and oranges), and chlorophyll (greens). Anthocyanin and carotenoid production is upregulated under bright light, especially with some direct sun, because both pigments protect the leaf from UV damage. Under low light the plant simply doesn't bother producing them — it's an expensive pigment investment with no payoff in dim conditions.
Garden centres and grow operations use very high light levels (40,000+ lux or supplementary grow lights) to bring out the brightest cultivar colours, but the moment the plant arrives in a typical apartment with a north or middle-of-the-room location at 3,000–5,000 lux, new leaves emerge progressively greener. Within 3–6 months a 'Red Sister' may look mostly bronze-green with only the oldest leaves still red.
The only fix is more light: an east window with morning direct sun, a south-facing position with a sheer curtain, or a supplemental grow light. Within 6–10 weeks of the change, new leaves emerge with restored colour. Existing faded leaves do NOT re-pigment — they age and shed naturally as new ones replace them.
Log cuttings: the easy way to multiply a leggy ti plant
Cordyline fruticosa is one of the easiest popular houseplants to propagate, and the best technique is the unusual 'log cutting' method that makes use of the bare lower stem most owners find unattractive.
Once a Cordyline cane is 60 cm tall and has shed its lower leaves, leaving a bare stem with a leaf cluster at the top, you have the raw material for 5–8 new plants. Cut the bare cane into 5–10 cm log sections, each with at least one node (the slight ring where a leaf was attached). Lay the logs horizontally on moist potting mix in a clear plastic container, half-buried so the upper surface is exposed. Cover loosely with the lid and place at 22–25 °C in indirect light.
Within 6–10 weeks each log produces one or more new shoots with roots. Once the new shoots have 3–4 leaves they can be detached and potted individually. The original parent plant — now cut back to a stub — also re-shoots from the remaining cane, often producing 2–3 new heads where there was previously one. The whole process turns one tall leggy plant into 7–10 new fresh plants in a single propagation cycle, which is part of why Cordyline is such a common cut-flower-trade and nursery plant in the tropics.
Cordyline fruticosa is one of the so-called 'canoe plants' — species that Polynesian voyagers carried on their double-hulled canoes from Southeast Asia across the Pacific between roughly 1000 BCE and 1300 CE. The plant served multiple purposes: leaves for thatching, food wrapping, and traditional skirts (hula skirts in Hawaii); fermented sugary tubers as a feast food called 'pia' in Hawaiian; and ceremonial use in homes and temples as a 'good luck' protective plant. Many Pacific islands have endemic varieties that diverged from the original imports over centuries — a botanical record of human migration.
Frequently asked · 5
Is Cordyline fruticosa (Hawaiian ti plant) safe for cats and dogs?+
No. ASPCA classifies it as toxic to both cats and dogs. The mechanism is saponins, which cause vomiting (sometimes with blood), depression, anorexia, hypersalivation, and dilated pupils. Vet attention is recommended for any ingestion. Households with pets that graze on plants should choose a non-toxic alternative.
Why is my ti plant losing its pink and red colour?+
Light too low. Cordyline fruticosa cultivars produce vivid colours through anthocyanin and carotenoid pigments that depend on bright light. Move to a brighter position with at least an east window or 1–2 hours of morning direct sun. New leaves emerge with full colour within 6–10 weeks; existing faded leaves do not re-pigment but will eventually be replaced.
Why are the tips of my ti plant brown?+
Cordyline fruticosa is highly sensitive to fluoride and chlorine in tap water. Brown crispy tips and margins are usually a tap-water symptom. Switch to rainwater, distilled water, or filtered water; flush the soil with 3× pot volume of rainwater. Low humidity below 50 % and over-fertilising can also cause tip browning. Trim brown tips with sharp scissors following the natural leaf curve.
Can I cut my leggy ti plant back hard?+
Yes — this is the standard rejuvenation technique. Cut the cane back to 15–20 cm above the soil. New shoots emerge from dormant buds along the cut cane within 4–8 weeks, often producing 2–3 new heads where there was previously one. The removed section can be cut into 'log cuttings' to produce 5–8 additional new plants. Wear gloves when handling sap.
Is Cordyline fruticosa actually a palm?+
No. Despite the common names 'cabbage palm' and 'good luck palm', Cordyline fruticosa is in the family Asparagaceae — closely related to asparagus, hostas, and lily-of-the-valley. The 'palm-like' silhouette of an upright cane with leaves clustered at the top is convergent evolution, not a real botanical relationship.