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naturalised plants in eastern Victoria (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
habit (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
large strap-like leaves (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
close-up of flowers (Photo: Trevor James)
young fruit (Photo: Trevor James)
immature fruit (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
mature fruit releasing their seeds (Photo: Trevor James)
old fruit (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
close-up of seeds (Photo: Steve Hurst at USDA PLANTS Database)
ornamental cultivar with variegated leaves (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
Scientific Name
Phormium tenax J. R. Forst. & G. Forst.
Family
Agavaceae (Tasmania and South Australia)Phormiaceae (New South Wales)
Common Names
bush flax, flax, New Zealand flax, New Zealand hemp
Origin
Native to New Zealand and Norfolk Island.
Naturalised Distribution
Naturalised in some parts of south-eastern Australia (i.e. naturalised in Tasmania and sparingly naturalised in south-eastern South Australia and eastern New South Wales). Possibly also naturalised in southern Victoria.
Also naturalised in Hawaii.
Notes
New Zealand flax (Phormium tenax) is regarded as an environmental weed in Tasmania and Victoria, and as a potential environmental weed or "sleeper weed" in other parts of southern Australia.