Cordyline Australis !

 When we first moved to our new house, I planted a Cordyline Australis  as a small ornamental plant in the garden.

   Sixteen years later the small ornamental plant has developed into  a twenty foot, fully fledged  "Cabbage Tree".

In early summer, large flower spikes develop with  sweetly perfumed flowers, now I usually remove these flower spikes after flowering as they can look a bit untidy, and  to be honest, I wasn't sure whether they should be removed or left alone, this year I left the spikes on the Tree, the flowers developed into small white berries. 

Very attractive to the Starling Flocks, who seem to find them irresistible.

                Apparently this is a native plant of New Zealand. 

 The berries were so attractive to the New Zealand Pigeon or  "Kereru" a type of Wood Pigeon, that trees were planted in  groves by the "Maori" to purposely attract them, they were then captured as a food source. Not so common now due to overhunting, and like here, their Starlings now feed on the berries .


       So no more flower spike removal, leave them for the birds.