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Scientific Name
Family
Common Names
Origin
Naturalised Distribution
Notes
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Click on images to enlarge

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)

Phormium tenax

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.