Cordyline banksii Hook.F.

Plant to 4 m high; stems c. 10-15 cm diam., usually a number from near ground level, sparingly branched. Leaves 1-2 m × 4-8 cm, narrowed above base to channelled petiole ¼-1/5 leaf-length; midrib and several nerves prominent. Panicle lax, 1-2 cm long. Flowers fragrant, white; segments c. 10 mm long. Berry white or bluish.

It is a temperate plant. It grows at higher altitude than common cabbage tree. In New Zealand it grows from sea level to 1050 m altitude. It grows near the edge of the forest. It is resistant to frost but damaged by drought. Arboretum Tasmania. Hobart Botanical Gardens.

The sweet, fleshy underground stems or rhizomes are steamed or baked and eaten. The central pith of the trunk can be steamed and eaten. The central core or base of the young leaves emerging from the stem is diced and eaten raw or cooked.

Plants can be raised from seed.