Actually a day lily
Not a true flax, the name was given when the first European traders named it because its fibres could be put to similar use as that of true flax, Linum usitatissimum.
New Zealand flax belongs to the day lily family, Hemerocallidaceae.
Harakeke
Known as harakeke to Maori, Phormium tenax occurs naturally in New Zealand and Norfolk Island and commonly grows throughout wetter lowland areas.
The stiff, broad, sword-like leaves can reach up to 3m and are arranged in two adjoining sets around the growing points to form a fan.
Leaf colour is often green to blue green.
Harakeke often has coloured leaf margins and a keel on the back of the leaves ranging from orange to red and black.
The tall rigid flower stalks can reach up to 5m, standing proud above the foliage.
Flowering from late October through to February, the upright, tube-like flowers turn red when fully mature.
Wharariki
Commonly known as mountain flax, and wharariki to Maori, Phormium cookianum is endemic and found throughout the country.
P. cookianum is generally smaller in size than P. tenax.
The leaves are usually less than 2m long, soft and inclined to droop.
Wharariki tends to flower earlier than harakeke and the flowers are also tube-like, but are twisted and downward facing.
The flower stalks can reach up to 1.6m in length.
Each individual flower of both species has female and male parts, and the flowers are pollinated by nectar-feeding birds such as bellbirds and tui.
The number of fans produced in each bush varies and plants do not flower consistently each year due to changing climatic conditions.
Both species of flax can be seen throughout Dunedin Botanic Garden.
Lucas Miller is a horticultural apprentice at the Dunedin Botanic Garden.
