What are harakeke flowers called?

What are harakeke flowers called?

Harakeke was the name given to this plant by Māori. The first European traders called it ‘flax’ because its fibres were similar to that of true flax found in other parts of the world. Although we still call it flax today, harakeke is really a lily.

How do I identify harakeke?

Harakeke has coloured leaf margins and keel, with orange, red, brown and black being the most common. Colours can vary between young and old leaves, even within a bush. Coloured edges are narrow, thick or smudged. Young leaves in particular are sometimes smudged with colour (particularly reddish brown) at the tips.

What are the different types of harakeke?

The two main varieties of New Zealand flax are (left) Phormium tenax – harakeke or swamp flax – and Phormium cookianum – wharariki or mountain flax. Harakeke has stiff leaves and grows mainly in lowland swamps.

Is harakeke a grass?

Phormium tenax (called flax in New Zealand English; harakeke in Māori; New Zealand flax outside New Zealand; and New Zealand hemp in historical nautical contexts) is an evergreen perennial plant native to New Zealand and Norfolk Island that is an important fibre plant and a popular ornamental plant.

What is the meaning of harakeke?

flax
The harakeke (flax) plant represents the whānau (family) in Māori thought. The rito (shoot) is the child. It is protectively surrounded by the awhi rito (parents). The outside leaves represent the tūpuna (grandparents and ancestors).

What does the flax plant look like?

Cultivated flax plants grow to 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) tall, with slender stems. The leaves are glaucous green, slender lanceolate, 20–40 mm long, and 3 mm broad. The flowers are pure pale blue, 15–25 mm in diameter, with five petals.

When can you harvest harakeke?

Harakeke should be harvested during the day when the blades are dry, not at night or in the rain or frost – as a safety measure but also as doing so will affect the quality of the harakeke making it very brittle.

What does New Zealand flax look like?

Gardeners grow New Zealand flax (Phorium tenex) as a large and often colorful, spiky plant that makes an arresting focal point in the garden or containers. It has sword-like leaves that shoot up from the base of the plant.

How do you plant harakeke?

The traditional way to plant harakeke is to ‘plant the puku to the sun’, so that the bulge on the fan faces halfway between the rising and setting sun. This protects the baby fans, which will emerge at the back of the clump, and gives them shade and moisture.

What is harakeke used for?

Woven garments incorporating harakeke were worn by most people. The harakeke fibre was used for ropes, fishing lines and net making. The plant’s nectar was used as a sweetener, the dried flower stalks were lashed together to make mōkihi (rafts), and the pia (gum) and boiled roots were used for medicinal purposes.

What is flax flower?

Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, Linum usitatissimum, in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates.

Where do flax plants grow?

The plant is adaptable to a variety of soils and climates but grows best in well-drained sandy loam and in temperate climates. In most areas planting of the same land with flax is limited to once in six years to avoid soil exhaustion. Cool moist growing seasons produce the most-desirable fibre.

Where do you cut harakeke?

Harvesting harakeke

1. Weavers say a karakia (prayer) before cutting the first blade of harakeke.
2. They always cut on the diagonal, away from the plant’s heart and from top to bottom.
3. Harvesting is not permitted at night or in rain.
4. No food can be taken into the pā harakeke.

Can you eat harakeke?

As an added bonus, the seeds of harakeke are edible and quite sweet when in their green or white state. Simply snap the pod and squeeze the seeds out. Flowers also contain a delicious nectar, provided in abundance by the flax, a real energy boost in a survival situation.

Does New Zealand flax flower every year?

New Zealand flax is dependably hardy and evergreen in USDA cold hardiness zones 9 to 11, but gardeners in zones 7 and 8 might find that the plants re-grow each spring after dying back if they are heavily mulched and protected for the winter.

Does New Zealand flax spread?

New Zealand flax is a slow growing perennial plant. The most common method of propagation is through division and fully rooted specimens are widely available at nursery centers. One of the main requirements this plant has is well-draining soil.

Can you grow harakeke from seed?

Phormium tenax/harakeke and P. Cut off the pods before they open and store in a paper bag in a warm dry place. Propagation: Sow seed on a flat firm bed of seed raising mix and lightly cover with mix. Seed usually takes about two months to germinate depending on temperature.

How do you use harakeke?

How do you gather flax?

Grab a handful of stems at ground level, then pull the plants up by the roots and shake to remove excess soil. Gather the stems into a bundle and secure them with string or rubber bands. Then hang the bundle in a warm, well-ventilated room for three to five weeks, or when the stems are completely dry.